It didn't get a chance to tell you my favorite herbal purchases ahead of time. So here they are now that you might have gotten some extra cash for Christmas! One of my favorite herbal authors is Sharon Lovejoy and she has a new book coming out in a few weeks called Toad Cottage & Shooting Stars. If you have children in your life, Sharon's early books and this latest one will appeal to the young and old alike. My favorite books of hers are A Blessing of Toads, her columns for one of my favorite gardening magazines, Country Living Gardener. Also, Trowel & Error which gives you over 700 shortcuts, tips & remedies for the Gardener. These are the days when I love to get a cup of tea and curl up with a good book and you will love Sharon's wisdom and illustrations. She's a gem. My second choice of herbal authors is Susan Belsinger. Her latest book is called the creative herbal home co-written with Tina Marie Wilcox chock full of tips and recipes for the herbal home. Susan has co-authored many books on herbs and the other favorite of mine is Basil An Herb Lover's Guide co-authored with Tom DeBaggio. It has great information on basil and a lot of delicious and easy recipes.
On to my favorite magazines, The Herb Companion and The Herb Quarterly, they have kept me company for many years and I can read them over and over and always find something new in the herbal world. So a subscription to either magazine is always a good investment for your Christmas cash.
Finally, my favorite herb and spice company, Penzeys. We are lucky to have a Penzeys store in Pittsburgh, but the online version is a great way to get recipes and single herbs and spices or combination of herbs and spices in gift boxes. Hope you had a great holiday and some leftover cash to splurge on a great herbal gift for you!