Review by Choice Review
The existing literature on gardening is vast and runs the gamut of quality and usefulness. To stand out against titles like Indoor Edible Garden (2017) and The Hearth Witch's Kitchen Herbal (2019), a book must either cover it all (fruit, vegetables, herbs, and flowers) or specialize. This book has adopted the specialization approach, concentrating on the culinary herbs, and wisely adheres to the 40 best varieties. Employing a direct style, the authors optimize the profile of each herb included. Readers will find useful information without being overwhelmed by detail. Practical advice is augmented through helpful diagnosis and treatment sections addressing common problems likely to be encountered by readers, such as plant diseases and pests. This feature is based on symptoms readers can be expected to have seen in their own gardens, and is illustrated by photographs for readers to compare against their own experience. Images are presented in full color on low-distortion matte paper, for easy identification. Belsinger and Tucker are prolific authors who offer readers firsthand experience and expert knowledge of culinary herbs. While potentially useful in a culinary arts program, this is not an academic work, and will appeal to a general audience. Summing Up: Recommended. General readers. Professionals and students in technical programs. --John C. Burns, Dixie State University
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Booklist Review
Authors Belsinger and Tucker will be familiar to many, having authored (together and separately) many books on herbs and culinary gardening. Knowing and, as much as possible, replicating a plant's origins are the keys to growing it successfully. And because the most often used culinary herbs originate from a variety of locations and conditions, a gardener will need to locate or re-create this wide range of conditions. Introductory chapters cover the basics of how to accomplish this, including growing, harvesting, preserving, and preparing herbs for culinary purposes, after which the bulk of the book addresses 40 distinct herbs in detail. For each of these, specific instructions on cultivation, propagation, harvesting, preparation, and cooking are outlined, with specific details on different varieties for those herbs that have many, such as basil and mint. Large color photographs illustrate the beauty of the plants in flower and what the useful parts of the herb look like. For those using herbs culinarily, this is both a guide for beginners and a reference that can be used at any level.--Anne Heidemann Copyright 2019 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Library Journal Review
Following their well-received The Culinary Herbal, which covered 97 herbs, coauthors Belsinger and Tucker offer this slimmed-down version featuring 40 favorite herbs typically popular in home gardens. Written for beginners, the strong chapters about growing, harvesting, preserving, and using herbs in the kitchen have not been significantly reworked but have moved to the front of the book ahead of the herb profiles, which reuse some of the portraits from the previous work. However, a new layout design has moved quick-reference cultivation information into a small box on most portrait pages, detracting from the full-page, stylish photos. Arranged alphabetically by common names familiar to American cooks, this volume is more authoritative and easier to use than David Squire's Herb Gardens Specialist Guide, which is similar in scope but arranged by botanical names. Curiously, though growing things indoors is surging in popularity, this gives only cursory treatment to indoor herb gardening. VERDICT Recommended for anyone interested in homegrown herbs for cooking but not willing to purchase the authors' more expansive (and expensive) Culinary Herbal. Gardeners who cook and also want herbs for projects (green roofs, garden seats, herb lawns) might consider The Kew Gardener's Guide to Growing Herbs.--Bonnie Poquette, Milwaukee
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