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The Cook's Herb Garden: Grow, Harvest, Cook
From your garden to your table, and every step in between, this lovely book will guide you through planting, growing, harvesting, and cooking herbs.
There’s a visual index of 120 culinary herbs and more than 30 delicious recipes to make with them. You’ll be able to prepare your own salad dressing, marinades, flavored butter, pesto, herbal teas, and cordials, and add seasoning to your favorite meals.
Whether you have a vegetable garden or want to fill some plant pots or window boxes, this book provides all the advice you need to start growing herbs. It gives you beneficial information on which herbs do well in different environments and situations. Learn the groups of herbs that like to grow together and create different selections like Mediterranean, everyday essentials, and salad herbs.
Become an expert gardener with this compendium of herb cultivation. You'll find out when to plant the seeds and how to nurture them as they grow. There's helpful advice on how to keep pests away. Once you have harvested your herbs, learn the different ways you can store them for future meals, like freezing or drying them.
Try your hand at the recipes to experience and enjoy the wonderful herbs you've grown. This library of herbs includes notes on their flavor and partner charts, which tell you which herbs go well with different dishes and drinks. You will know the best places to use your herbs and how to make exciting things with them.
Master Gardener to Master Chef
This is an essential handbook for anyone who wants to spice up their dinners with more flavor, make refreshing drinks, or learn how to partner with different flavors. Enjoy this special kind of recipe book that will help you create your own herb garden, so that every herb you use in the kitchen, you have the pleasure of growing it yourself. An especially thoughtful gift for the gardener or chef in your life.
• 120 different culinary herbs, with stunning photos and clear descriptions.
• Four sections with advice on how to plant, nurture, harvest, store, and cook with these herbs.
• More than 30 recipes for hot and cold drinks, condiments, dressings, and many sensational meals.
There’s a visual index of 120 culinary herbs and more than 30 delicious recipes to make with them. You’ll be able to prepare your own salad dressing, marinades, flavored butter, pesto, herbal teas, and cordials, and add seasoning to your favorite meals.
Whether you have a vegetable garden or want to fill some plant pots or window boxes, this book provides all the advice you need to start growing herbs. It gives you beneficial information on which herbs do well in different environments and situations. Learn the groups of herbs that like to grow together and create different selections like Mediterranean, everyday essentials, and salad herbs.
Become an expert gardener with this compendium of herb cultivation. You'll find out when to plant the seeds and how to nurture them as they grow. There's helpful advice on how to keep pests away. Once you have harvested your herbs, learn the different ways you can store them for future meals, like freezing or drying them.
Try your hand at the recipes to experience and enjoy the wonderful herbs you've grown. This library of herbs includes notes on their flavor and partner charts, which tell you which herbs go well with different dishes and drinks. You will know the best places to use your herbs and how to make exciting things with them.
Master Gardener to Master Chef
This is an essential handbook for anyone who wants to spice up their dinners with more flavor, make refreshing drinks, or learn how to partner with different flavors. Enjoy this special kind of recipe book that will help you create your own herb garden, so that every herb you use in the kitchen, you have the pleasure of growing it yourself. An especially thoughtful gift for the gardener or chef in your life.
• 120 different culinary herbs, with stunning photos and clear descriptions.
• Four sections with advice on how to plant, nurture, harvest, store, and cook with these herbs.
• More than 30 recipes for hot and cold drinks, condiments, dressings, and many sensational meals.
192 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2010
12 people are currently reading
549 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews
December 19, 2017
A really handy little book about growing and using herbs for culinary pleasure, with some useful recipes.
Recommended.
Recommended.
April 11, 2021
The herb pictures were very cool.
March 15, 2020
What more can I say than then, I checked this book out from the library and after looking through it and reading a lot of it, I ended up buying a copy of it today. As I was reading it, I was amazed at how much I was enjoying it and then, I flipped the book over and saw DK on the back cover, and no wonder I loved it so much. DK Books are fantastic!
This book is a great reference book if you like to work with herbs. I like to plant a variety of herbs in pots outside in the summer and try to keep them alive in the winter, inside my home. Living in the Midwest, this is tricky and sometimes, I am successful and sometimes I fail. I love the smell and taste of fresh herbs and I'm hoping this book will help me be more successful.
What I love about this book is that it lists a variety of different fresh herbs, the varieties of them (if there are any), how to grow them successfully, how to use them, and there are some nice colorful, realistic pictures of the herbs. An example is Basil: there is a two page spread on basil. The author mentions how to grow basil, how to harvest and cook it. It also states that his herb prefers sun and is a hardy herb (frost wise). On the two pages, there are eight different varieties of basil mentioned with 8 different pictures and details describing theses varieties. I usually plant the Sweet Basil which is strongly scented with large, bright,green leaves. The description lists how the plant usually grows including size (in. and cm) and also how you can cook with the herb. I grew Greek Basil last year as it looked different and I have seen Lemon Basil being sold but the cinnamon basil looks interesting., now if I can find that.
The herbs are listed from A to Z and not all herbs have varieties with them. There is also a small section that I am going to try this year which is about planting a herb pot/basket. It's a "culinary-themed window box" that produces a "whole store cupboard of flavors in one pot." They have a few examples of herbs placed together in a pot and they labeled these pots based on what they contain: Everyday Essentials, Salad Herbs, Mediterranean, Middle Eastern, Hardy Herbs, and Herbal Teas. They explain with each pot why each herb was selected, how to water and harvest instructions. Now, how fun is that!
There is also information in this book about growing herbs from seeds vs. plants, controlling weeds, getting the best harvest and what to do with your herbs, as they grow. We have in the past frozen the herbs in bags but I have now purchased plastic trays so I can try freezing some in liquid. The book continues with information on preparing your herbs for cooking and actual recipes. There is a ton of great information in here! I can't wait to get my copy to start adding some post-its to the pages.
This book is a great reference book if you like to work with herbs. I like to plant a variety of herbs in pots outside in the summer and try to keep them alive in the winter, inside my home. Living in the Midwest, this is tricky and sometimes, I am successful and sometimes I fail. I love the smell and taste of fresh herbs and I'm hoping this book will help me be more successful.
What I love about this book is that it lists a variety of different fresh herbs, the varieties of them (if there are any), how to grow them successfully, how to use them, and there are some nice colorful, realistic pictures of the herbs. An example is Basil: there is a two page spread on basil. The author mentions how to grow basil, how to harvest and cook it. It also states that his herb prefers sun and is a hardy herb (frost wise). On the two pages, there are eight different varieties of basil mentioned with 8 different pictures and details describing theses varieties. I usually plant the Sweet Basil which is strongly scented with large, bright,green leaves. The description lists how the plant usually grows including size (in. and cm) and also how you can cook with the herb. I grew Greek Basil last year as it looked different and I have seen Lemon Basil being sold but the cinnamon basil looks interesting., now if I can find that.
The herbs are listed from A to Z and not all herbs have varieties with them. There is also a small section that I am going to try this year which is about planting a herb pot/basket. It's a "culinary-themed window box" that produces a "whole store cupboard of flavors in one pot." They have a few examples of herbs placed together in a pot and they labeled these pots based on what they contain: Everyday Essentials, Salad Herbs, Mediterranean, Middle Eastern, Hardy Herbs, and Herbal Teas. They explain with each pot why each herb was selected, how to water and harvest instructions. Now, how fun is that!
There is also information in this book about growing herbs from seeds vs. plants, controlling weeds, getting the best harvest and what to do with your herbs, as they grow. We have in the past frozen the herbs in bags but I have now purchased plastic trays so I can try freezing some in liquid. The book continues with information on preparing your herbs for cooking and actual recipes. There is a ton of great information in here! I can't wait to get my copy to start adding some post-its to the pages.
April 12, 2017
I'm very impressed with the amount of detail included in this practical guide to growing, harvesting and cooking with herbs.
July 15, 2021
Informative, but organized in kind of an odd way.
November 16, 2022
I love this above other herb garden books I've looked through because it has many categories of information to offer: what herbs grow well together, how to grow each kind, the different types of each herb, how to harvest and store them, how to cook with them, etc.
My favorite part was that it included a table near the end of what herbs to use depending on what your cooking. A lot of these books focus on the gardening and taking the cooking portion for granted. I didn't grow up with herbs in our kitchen, so this book is really helping me get all of my fundamentals in one reference item on my home shelf.
This little book isn't too bulky but it is concise and will cover most of what you need to know in the kitchen or the garden.
My favorite part was that it included a table near the end of what herbs to use depending on what your cooking. A lot of these books focus on the gardening and taking the cooking portion for granted. I didn't grow up with herbs in our kitchen, so this book is really helping me get all of my fundamentals in one reference item on my home shelf.
This little book isn't too bulky but it is concise and will cover most of what you need to know in the kitchen or the garden.
May 27, 2019
This book started out kind of backwards to what I was used to, with sample selection of herbs in plantings for various purposes. Then it moves on to a visual dictionary of various herbs and their flavors and uses. Then follows direction on growing different herbs in different situations, various methods of soil stabilization and weed removal, and aesthetics of planting herbs. Following that are instructions on how to harvest herbs, and long-term storage. The final third of the book is pretty much just recipes, but with a focus on the herbs. There are also recipes for making your own herbal teas and such. Really an enjoyable, useful book of more recent vintage than most of the books I've read and liked on the subject.
July 27, 2023
This book was a totally spontaneous buy at a local museum because I read about rolling and freezing herbs and garlic. I noticed there were a few recipes.
I wish there were more recipes though. It's a cute book (mine looks like a new addition) and would make a great gift. It does list each herb with a description and suggested usages, discusses growing and harvesting with a few recipes for butters, oils, rubs, soups, etc. There's a section on cordials and teas, too. The best thing about the book is the chart in the back that lists foods and then suggests accompanying herbs.
This would make a great gift with a pot of herbs.
I wish there were more recipes though. It's a cute book (mine looks like a new addition) and would make a great gift. It does list each herb with a description and suggested usages, discusses growing and harvesting with a few recipes for butters, oils, rubs, soups, etc. There's a section on cordials and teas, too. The best thing about the book is the chart in the back that lists foods and then suggests accompanying herbs.
This would make a great gift with a pot of herbs.
April 26, 2023
A good reference about herbs used in cooking. It includes a description of plant characteristics and the optimal growing conditions, then delves into planning and using a herb patch: micro-climate, soil and water requirements; weed control, pest control, planting, and weeding; harvesting techniques and storage requirements (drying, freezing, etc.). It then goes on to provide preparation techniques and recipes to utilize your harvest! At the back is an great chart that pairs the herbs and what foods they best enhance.
March 23, 2018
My mom sent me this for my birthday :) Great info for a beginning gardener- I found I wanted even MORE information on the plants provided, but found incredibly useful tips on growing together, watering, pruning, and sowing. Hopefully my plant babies will make it through the season! Also loving the recipes in the back, will most likely veganize them.
April 10, 2018
Fresh herbs are better when it comes to cooking, so I decided to do a little digging (pun intended) into what herbs I could try to grow this spring. This book is a nice start for the novice gardener.
June 28, 2020
Good little resource. Wish it had more personal experience and commentary. Also doesn’t include the medicinal herbs just FYI
July 11, 2021
Helpful reference guide
October 30, 2021
This is a wonderful guide! It gives a very extensive list of herbs with useful tips! Now I want to add more to my usual herb garden!
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July 1, 2022简单好入门，但由于我对大部分香料都没有概念，只能抓耳挠腮直奔培育流程，作为自家阳台菜园构建启蒙（泪）
April 9, 2024
Prompt 2: Bibliosmia: A smelly book
#the52bookclub
#2024readingchallenge
#the52bookclub
#2024readingchallenge
April 17, 2025
Checked this out from the library and will be ordering a copy off Amazon!
February 18, 2017
Not as helpful as I had hoped.
March 9, 2010
Spring is right around the corner, and now is the perfect time for any beginner gardeners to grab a copy of this book. Personally, I found this book very useful in more ways than I imagined. Not only does it cover herbs, as stated in the title. It also covers; most plants and flowers, and even had recipes inside.
Any of you who read my blog know how I love them recipes!! So I had to try one out.
This was my first experience with avocados, and I had fun, but will adapt the recipe a little next time to my liking.
All in all, I loved this book. It will be a great tool for me this spring. If you want to learn about anything plants... even how to treat various plant diseases.... then grab a copy!
Any of you who read my blog know how I love them recipes!! So I had to try one out.
This was my first experience with avocados, and I had fun, but will adapt the recipe a little next time to my liking.
All in all, I loved this book. It will be a great tool for me this spring. If you want to learn about anything plants... even how to treat various plant diseases.... then grab a copy!
Read
December 26, 2021Scintillating
June 7, 2015
Succinct, helpful, and interesting! As someone who is hoping to learn about herb gardening on a more in-depth basis, this explained the no-brainer basics of both growing, harvesting, and usage (how to dry, etc.). The recipes are really tempting, too! The physical size of the book is convenient, and I know I will refer back to it time and again in the garden and kitchen.
May 8, 2011
This is a really good guide to culinary herbs, how to grow them and what to do with them in cooking. A good reference book, I have renewed this so many times from the library that am now going to have to buy a copy because they won't let me renew it anymore!!
May 7, 2012
Very beautiful book. Not a detailed guide by any means but there is some really valuable information lovingly shared with striking visuals and careful descriptions. A good primer for the beginner herb enthusiast!
March 5, 2013
good overview on the herbs, how to grow, harvest, and propagate them. also, i really enjoyed the recipe ideas in the back - gave me a lot of creative ideas. not sure i would actually make many of them, but it was fun to dream about having the time to do it!
December 30, 2014
I really enjoyed this book. While I want to think of myself as a true veggie gardener, I think I might be really more of an herb and flower gardener. :-) This book, while simple, would be a reference book I'd enjoy having on my shelves.
September 9, 2014
Good and concise information on basics for growing and harvesting herbs. Includes pictures and tips for different kinds. Has some good recipes that give you a start on what you can do with herbs for cooking. Also tips on making your own herbal tea!
March 15, 2011
Loved the ideas in this book. More because I think I can garden, some great things to try and ways to use the herbs I grow! Will def check this book out again in July/August
May 3, 2011
Extremely useful for beginning herb gardeners. I found the suggested layouts for potted herbs to be very helpful. The recipes were a nice surprise, too. Great book!
June 6, 2011
Lovely photos. Informative for "back yard" herbs.
March 19, 2012
Novice to gardening and picked up this book to get started with herbs.
I can see myself returning to this book again and again for reference.
I can see myself returning to this book again and again for reference.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews