The Homesteader’s Guide to Growing Herbs by Kristine Brown

The Homesteader’s Guide to Growing Herbs by Kristine Brown ISBN-13: 978-1647393724 Paperback: 167 pages Publisher: Rockridge Press Released: July 7, 2020

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher.

Book Description, Modified from Amazon:
Growing herbs means growing your own food, medicine, home remedies, beauty products, and more. The Homesteader’s Guide to Growing Herbs is packed with expert information on planting, caring for, and using herbs to nourish and nurture yourself, your family, your pets, and even your livestock.

Learn about cultivating herbs on your homestead and get a step-by-step guide to creating your own herbal preparations—from teas and infusions to tinctures, syrups, and salves. Explore an informational index of common household herbs, including the parts used, plant properties, safety considerations, preservation methods, and much more. Try dozens of recipes for everything from homemade marshmallows and basil-infused cooking oil to sunburn soother spray, furniture polish, and natural deodorant.


My Review:
The Homesteader’s Guide to Growing Herbs is a book about growing and using common herbs. The author started by briefly talking about why you would want to grow herbs and how you can use them. She then talked about good locations for an herb garden (space needed, soil type, etc.) and how to prepare herbal medicine (teas, syrups, tinctures, poultices, salves, infused oil). She provided profiles for 20 common herbs: basil, black walnut, chamomile, comfrey, echinacea, elderberry, fennel, garlic, lavender, marshmallow, mullein, onion, peach, peppermint, raspberry, rose, sage, stinging nettle, thyme, and willow. She included a picture the plant (though not always suited for identification purposes) and information about the parts of the plant that you use, growing tips, how to preserve it for future use, medicinal uses, preparation tips, dosing, and safety considerations.

She also included recipes using the profile herbs along with other herbs. She included 20 recipes for eating (herbed butter, green man pesto, etc.), 25 recipes for healing and wellness (fire cider, flu fighter tea, tummy tamer tea, etc.), 8 recipes for housekeeping (surface cleaner, furniture polish, etc.), 7 recipes for beauty (tooth powder, mouthwash, etc.), and 15 recipes for pets and livestock (wound powder, flea powder. etc.). I had expected this to be a gardening book, so I'm disappointed that the focus seemed to be more about uses for herbs. Overall, though, the information is good though mostly an overview of a variety of topics.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.