Living with Herbs

Let me say that Jo Ann Gardner is one of my favorite garden writers. Her books are filled tried and true herbal information.She writes from her own experiences.Her advice is easy to apply in your own garden. As an Herb Educator/Speaker I find she gives accurate and well written herbal history to use in my presentations.I turn to her books often. Livind With Herbs is a great read. Try making "Jo Ann's Kitchen & Garden Herb Salt" on page 186. If you don't already grow the herbs in this recipe (or any other metioned in the book) Jo Ann gives you the advice to make you feel you can succeed .

Pick up the May/June issue of The American Gardener or September issue of Herb Companion and you will find an article by Jo Ann Gardner about herbs. Gardner wrote LIVING WITH HERBS a few years back, so in some ways the information in her book should reflect her thinking then, while the articles should reflect her experiences since writing the book. For example, she began harvesting herbs drying them in bunches (some not all herbs dry well using this approach) and discovered that other ways of preserving the essences of the herbs worked better with some plants. First she used string and then she moved to the use of rubber bands. I too use rubber bands because they contract as the herb stems shrink, and you are less likely to loose a bunch of dried herbs. And, while Gardner eschews them, I use paper sacks as they catch falling material, particularly lavender buds/blossoms and the like. However, the current Herb Companion shows a photo accompanying Gardners article where of bunches of herbs are drying on a nifty `under-window' rack, and tied with string, some stems are falling on the floor!! Gardner says some herbs dry best hanging in bunches and some on drying racks (you can cheat by drying some of them in an oven on low heat), and some should be macerated while green and frozen or put up or in jars of oil or vinegar. LIVING WITH HERBS is a useful book, because you not only read about Gardner's experience with 100 or so of her favorite herbs (growing, preserving, using) you also discover some culinary applications (jellies, rolls, breads, salts, etc.) If you don't grown herbs yourself, you can order them from a number of sources. Gardner has provided a useful if somewhat out-of-date bibliography that lists books and sources she prefers, but her gardening information is still useful.

This book was so helpful. I went to the library for books on herb gardening and returned home with a bag full. This book was the only one I felt compelled to purchase. It contains tons of great information accompanied by interesting annecdotes. This book is a must for anyone interested in growing and--more importantly--using herbs everyday. Oh, it also has lots of great recipes!!

" Though herb books are everywhere you turn these days, a classic guide for the home gardener hasn't been produced in my opinion since Adelma Simmons'HERB GARDENING IN FIVE SEASONS. Until now. Jo Ann Gardener's new book should be the herb classic for this generation. It was refreshing to read an herb book so full of deep, personal, first hand knowledge...Gardener grows her herbs in the harsh environs of a farm on a windy peninsula in Cape Breton. Isolated, with no phone or vehicle, she's has to rely on her resourcefulness to make her herb gardens work. They became so abundant she was able to start her own business, "Jo Ann's Kitchen & Garden". In her book, she shares all the methods she's developed over the years for growing and harvesting herbs, using them in the home and intergrating them into the landscape. Though I've looked through lots of herb books over the years, I found many, many fresh original ideas here. In the heart of the book, "The Herbs in MY Life: 74 Herb Portraits" all the information is based on Gardener's experience. They are deeply personal rather than encyclopedic and a true joy to read...A definite classic for the herb garden book shelf. Pinetree Garden Seeds Catalog, New Gloucester, Maine"

Who new there was so much to write about on herbs. This book loaded with useful information about herbs and how you can use them. I would recomend this book to anybody who love's herbs or even plants. I would mention some of the parts of the book that I found intresting but I don't want to spoil the book on anyone. I really enjoyed the book Jo Ann, Thanks.