This is a complete guide to growing herbs, with an informative directory and over 120 recipe and gift ideas. It offers practical advice on every aspect of growing herbs from designing your own herb garden and raising healthy herbs, to propagation, pruning and training. It is a botanical A-Z of over 150 herbs, with information on uses, cultivation and detailed descriptions of each variety. It features over 80 tasty and innovative herb recipes from summer soups, tasty snacks, and rich casseroles to light desserts, refreshing punches and soothing tisanes. It offers a wealth of attractive craft gift ideas including scented candles, table decorations, bath lotions and much more. For centuries, herbs have been used in gardening, perfumery, folk crafts and cooking. This book combines the range of skills needed for herb cultivation with hundreds of inspirational ideas for appetizing herb recipes and attractive craft ideas. The first half of the book is a practical guide to growing herbs successfully. The second section identifies over 150 herb varieties, providing cultivation tips as well as essential information on their medicinal, culinary and scented properties.An irresistible collection of recipes follows, including dishes for every taste. The book ends with a treasury of projects for scented displays, gifts and beauty products.

Jirsa shows you how to get to know each one just as an herbalist does - by immersing yourself in every aspect of the herb and naturally coming to understand its innate properties. Through delicious teas and foods, luxurious salves, skin and hair care treatments, complementary yoga poses, meditations, and more, you'll deepen your appreciation of these herbs and learn how best to use them for improved health and wellness.

Explore the dramatic history of the world's most expensive spice in Saffron: A Global History. Literally worth their weight in gold, sunset-red saffron threads are prized internationally. Saffron can be found in cave art in Mesopotamia, in the frescoes of ancient Santorini, in the dyed wrappings of Egyptian mummies, in the saffron-hued robes of Buddhist monks, and in unmistakable dishes around the world. It has been the catalyst for trade wars, as well as smuggling schemes, and used in medicine and cosmetics. Complete with delicious recipes and surprising anecdotes, this book traces the many paths taken by saffron, revealing the allure of a spice sought globally by merchants, chefs, artists, scientists, clerics, traders, warriors and black market smugglers.

Intoxicating and evocative, vanilla is so much more than a spice rack staple. It is a flavor that has defined the entire world--and its roots reach deep into the past. With its earliest origins dating back seventy million years, the history of vanilla begins in ancient Mesoamerica and continues to define and enhance today's traditions and customs. It has been used by nearly every culture as a spice, a perfume, and even a potent aphrodisiac, while renowned figures from Louis XIV to Casanova and Thomas Jefferson have been captivated by its aroma and taste. Featuring recipes, facts, and fables, Vanilla unravels the delightfully rich history, mystery, and essence of a flavor that reconnects us to our own heritage.