Nondestructive Characterization of Materials IX : Sydney, Australia, 28 June-2 July 1999 Book

After one of my Amazon friends reviewed this book, I simply had to get a copy. Now, Amazon has filled my order for this book. Wow! The last paragraph of the review mentioned above: "As a gardener, I have many books and magazines about various aspects of gardening and product uses, but the herbal book I go back to time and time again is this one. Everyone has a favorite--this one is mine. Highly recommended! Now for a nice cup of herbal tea and a lavender bath. Divine!"

To which I can only say, "Amen." This is a wonderful resource. There are all sorts of sections that those wanting to grow their own herbs or create herb gardens would enjoy (I'm probably too lazy for these activities!). First, a definition. The book described herbs as (page 16): ". . .any plant , generally aromatic or fragrant, whose parts, whether leaf, flower, seed, or root, are of use in food flavouring, medicine, household, and cosmetics." There are some very nice discussions of different aspects of herbs at the front end of this book: herbs in history (including medicinal use and as perfume), cultivating herbs, working on development of a herb garden, nurturance and care of herbs, and so on.

Then, for me anyhow, the high point of the book is a herb by herb discussion. For instance, one of my favorites--basil. The book astonishes me by saying that people either love or hate basil. I am incredulous that anyone could find this NOT one of the most enchanting of the herbs! The encyclopedia treatment: a description of basil, with pictures, and a discussion of cultivation. Then, its uses (as a tool in cooking, as medicine [mild sedative and stomach soother:], as a fly repellant [Who knew?:]). There is also a nice little recipe featuring basil (each herb features a recipe), in this instance a pesto.

And on it goes. Some of my favorite herbs include chives, coriander, fennel, garlic (Do you notice how Emeril's audience's on his "Food Channel" show cheer when he puts extra garlic into his recipes? I'm with the audience!), marjoram, rosemary, thyme (another of my favorites), and so on.

The final segment of the book introduces readers to an additional set of information about herbs, including harvesting and storing, wild herbs, and so on.

So, I'm a happy customer of Amazon, with this new toy now in my cooking library. To repeat from my first few comments, this is a nice resources for those interested in herbs.