{"id":5242,"date":"2011-05-01T01:10:17","date_gmt":"2011-05-01T06:10:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/paganpages.org\/content\/?p=5348"},"modified":"2011-05-01T10:32:29","modified_gmt":"2011-05-01T15:32:29","slug":"book-review-herbal-kitchen-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/2011\/05\/01\/book-review-herbal-kitchen-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Book Review: Herbal Kitchen"},"content":{"rendered":"

The herbal Kitchen <\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

by Kami McBride <\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a9 2010\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Conari Press <\/em><\/p>\n

ISBN:\u00a0 978-1-57324-421-3 <\/em><\/p>\n

Paperback\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 255 pages <\/em><\/p>\n

$18.95\u00a0 (U.S.) <\/em><\/p>\n

www.redwheelweisr.com<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

One of the nice things about this book is the fact that the herbs discussed are all easily accessible.\u00a0 Add to that the fact that all the basic information about them is placed in one location and it becomes even better.\u00a0 Then there are the recipes \u2013 over 250 of them.<\/p>\n

Of course, all the standard disclaimers apply \u2013 consult a health care profession before adding herbs to therapeutic medicines; begin with small amounts to check for adverse reactions; pregnant women need to be especially careful; etc.<\/p>\n

The first two chapters (\u201cKitchen\u00a0 Medicine and Culinary Culture\u201d and \u201cherbal Kitchen Materia Medica of Fifty Healing herbs and Spices\u201d) serve as a general introduction and are quite valuable on their own, but then come the recipes (11 different categories).<\/p>\n

From the outset, I must make it clear that I am neither an herbalist nor anything more than a rudimentary cook.\u00a0 In fact, my wife asked me what I was doing, requesting a batch of cookbooks (I have another five in the pile waiting to be reviewed).\u00a0 My daughter had asked me what I knew about kitchen witchery and, when I confessed my ignorance, went online to find a few titles.\u00a0 So, I am definitely approaching the topic as an interested amateur, like many of you.<\/p>\n

Ms McBride stresses that her recipes are intended for culinary use.\u00a0 Obviously, some of them COULD be used medicinally, but that is a subject for another book.\u00a0 The culinary use of herbs and spices can help to prevent minor health problems (stomachaches, colds, etc.), but treating medical conditions is something best learned by apprenticing to an individual who knows what they are doing.<\/p>\n

Ms McBride shares little bits of personal experience gleaned from her decades of working with herbs, and this adds immeasurably to the pleasure of reading this book.\u00a0 Make no mistake about it, reading this book IS a pleasure.\u00a0 No matter what section you are in, there is always something which will bring a smile to your face.<\/p>\n

I have to say that, as I started into the recipe section I was unsure what to expect, but the first recipe section (herbal Waters) tied in so nicely with the fruit waters we enjoy in our own household, I was sure I was going to enjoy the rest of the recipes (and I was right!).<\/p>\n

You will find the usual categories here \u2013 Teas, Vinegars, Cordials, and the like; but there are also some unexpected ideas \u2013 Smoothies, Ghees, Sprinkles and Salts.\u00a0 If, for some reason, you can’t find something to pique your interest, this is the wrong book for you.<\/p>\n

This is not a book to be READ, it is a book to be experienced and enjoyed.\u00a0 There isn’t a lot of magic in this book (other than the love which makes everything better), but it deserves to find a prominent place in every kitchen.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The herbal Kitchen by Kami McBride \u00a9 2010\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Conari Press ISBN:\u00a0 978-1-57324-421-3 Paperback\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 255 pages $18.95\u00a0 (U.S.) www.redwheelweisr.com One of the nice things about this book is the fact that the herbs discussed are all easily accessible.\u00a0 Add to that the fact that all the basic information about them is placed in one location and it becomes even better.\u00a0 Then there are the recipes \u2013 over 250 of them. Of course, all the standard disclaimers apply \u2013 consult a health care profession before adding herbs to therapeutic medicines; begin with small amounts to check for adverse reactions; pregnant women need to be especially careful; etc. The first two chapters (\u201cKitchen\u00a0 Medicine and Culinary Culture\u201d and \u201cherbal Kitchen Materia Medica of Fifty Healing herbs and Spices\u201d) serve as a general introduction and are quite valuable on their own, but then come the recipes (11 different categories). From the outset, I must make it clear that I am neither an herbalist nor anything more than a rudimentary cook.\u00a0 In fact, my wife asked me what I was doing, requesting a batch of cookbooks (I have another five in the pile waiting to be reviewed).\u00a0 My daughter had asked me what I knew about kitchen witchery and, when I confessed my ignorance, went online to find a few titles.\u00a0 So, I am definitely approaching the topic as an interested amateur, like many of you. Ms McBride stresses that her recipes are intended for culinary use.\u00a0 Obviously, some of them COULD be used medicinally, but that is a subject for another book.\u00a0 The culinary use of herbs and spices can help to prevent minor health problems (stomachaches, colds, etc.), but treating medical conditions is something best learned by apprenticing to an individual who knows what they are doing. Ms McBride shares little bits of personal experience gleaned from her decades of working with herbs, and this adds immeasurably to the pleasure of reading this book.\u00a0 Make no mistake about it, reading this book IS a pleasure.\u00a0 No matter what section you are in, there is always something which will bring a smile to your face. I have to say that, as I started into the recipe section I was unsure what to expect, but the first recipe section (herbal Waters) tied in so nicely with the fruit waters we enjoy in our own household, I was sure I was going to enjoy the rest of the recipes (and I was right!). You will find the usual categories here \u2013 Teas, Vinegars, Cordials, and the like; but there are also some unexpected ideas \u2013 Smoothies, Ghees, Sprinkles and Salts.\u00a0 If, for some reason, you can’t find something to pique your interest, this is the wrong book for you. This is not a book to be READ, it is a book to be experienced and enjoyed.\u00a0 There isn’t a lot of magic in this book (other than the love which makes everything better), but it deserves to find a prominent place in every kitchen.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":138,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"iawp_total_views":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5242","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5242","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/138"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5242"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5242\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5145,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5242\/revisions\/5145"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5242"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5242"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5242"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}