Devon Young - The Herbalists Healing Kitchen

Not your usual herbal remedy book, this is a treasure of inspiration for bringing healing foods to the table. I expect it to become splattered with sauces and imprinted with buttery fingers as all well-loved cookbooks are.

Chris Dalziel, founder of Joybilee Farm

Devon makes it easy to incorporate medicinal herbs into everyday life with her delightful recipes. Using herbs can feel daunting, but her straightforward approach is accessible to everyone.

Stacy Karen, founder of No Fuss Natural

If you believe as I do that food is the key to our health, the pages of this book are delicious confirmation. I am looking forward to cooking recipes from this innovative new book!

Janet Garman, author and founder of Timber Creek Farm

Devon has a knack for inspiring us to think outside the box and use healing herbs in our everyday cooking. The recipes are sure to inspire creativity in the seasoned herbalist and give confidence to those just beginning their herbal journey.

Angi Schneider, founder of SchneiderPeeps

Devon Youngs wealth of knowledge is evident in the thoughtful combination of ingredients, and the recipes are completely drool-worthy. This book is a very digestible way to include herbalism in daily life, and a tasty one!

Stephanie Rose, award-winning author and founder of Garden Therapy

This book takes the mystery out of an herbalists kitchen. What a tasty way to make food your medicine.

Connie Meyer, founder of Urban Overalls

Devon has a style that makes things attainable for all home herbalists and cooks, from beginners to more advanced. This book will be a go-to in our home for years to come.

Emily Maze, founder of This Crazy Maze

The Herbalists Healing Kitchen is the perfect introduction for those interested in expanding their knowledge of wellness while utilizing their larders and backyard offerings. Its simple yet thoughtful, practical with just a touch of whimsy, and beautifully and lovingly written. Devon Young is a woman who knows her material, and her desire to inspire others is evident in every page.

Rhea Hoeflok, founder of Hedgerow Cottage

Another must-have book by Devon Young. Who knew some of the things I enjoy weekly have the power to help my body thrive! Cant wait to give these mealtime herbal recipes a go!

Hannah Suzie Nicole, founder of Muddy Oak Hen House

Use the Power of Food to Cook Your Way to Better Health

Author of The Backyard Herbal Apothecary and Founder of Nitty Gritty Life

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Thank you to my family. You are the most critical and amazing taste-testers a home cook could have!

The title of Devon Youngs new book is appropriate, because herbalists do indeed have healing kitchens! Most of us use our kitchens as command central: after we contemplate the many complexities of how to best approach our health and the health of those we love, its in our kitchens that we whip up an herbal preparation or design a healthy, wholesome meal. The Herbalists Healing Kitchen shows us what it looks like to create foods with intentionthe intention to make better, to make well and to support our bodys ability to balance and heal.

Devon makes the point that paying attention to your body is key to addressing its needs. She recalls instinctively knowing that the peppermint candies offered at restaurants as an after-dinner sweet were soothing to her stomach, but it was only in hindsight that she made the connection between the consumption of peppermint and the relief she felt. Food can have an immediate or a delayed effect on us, but the point is to take notice. Does a specific food help you feel better, give you more energy, help you think more clearly, make you sleepy or perhaps make you feel anxious? Once we begin to notice the more obvious manifestations of the food we are eating, we can tune in to the more subtle expressions. When we start to listen to our bodies, we gain insights that allow us to choose foods that are right and good for us.

Ive made my way around quite a few kitchens as a caterer, traveler, mother of three and herbalist, and Ive learned a few culinary tricks here and there. I know how to use a wide variety of ingredients to make healthy, delicious and sometimes even inspiring recipes. But when Devon shares that flavor is the secret language of food, revealing to us the action of that food, I had to stop and think for a moment. Yes, indeed, flavor is the informer advising our taste buds, but also much more importantly, other body systems. The question is, how many of us use that information to our advantage? Understanding flavors such as sour, pungent, bitter, salty and sweet provides us with an entirely new set of tools with which we can guide our culinary and herbal repertoire.

The one thing we all can do is to choose what we put into our bodies. We can make good, informed choices, as Devon does in The Herbalists Healing Kitchen. Whether we feel the need to recharge and restore, boost our immune system, build cardiovascular health, jump-start our reproductive system or ease a troubled mind, we can design recipes using ideal foods and herbs that fit our particular needs. Your salivary glands may be working overtime as you read through these mouthwatering and original recipes that are both purposeful and delicious! are just a few to look forward to. Youre in for a real treat!

Marlene Adelmann

Herbalist and Founder of the Herbal Academy

For me it all really started with food.

When I was growing up, herbs and spices werent used medicinally in our homebut they were most certainly used in our cooking. My father fostered my love of epicurean wonders through his fragrant herb garden and his penchant for watching cooking shows. I learned early on in life how rosemary brings levity to a rich leg of lamb and how the peppery kick of watercress pairs beautifully with citrus and seafood. I observed how the red-and-white mints offered with the check at the end of a restaurant meal could soothe a troubled tummy.

I was learning that food is medicine. But I wasnt listening yet.

So quickly we dismiss these valuable lessons. We forget to pay mind to cues the body gives to us. We find ourselves thinking that cures and good health only come with a white coat and a prescription pad, or from shelves of supplements and quick-fix remedies. The more clinical the remedy, the less we relate to itand the more effective it becomes in the collective mind.

We seem to be looking for heroic cures, for instant gratification. And that can only come in a bottle, right? Because, how could the living world really give us everything we need? How could plants, animals, fungi and even tiny microbes offer the key to healthful living? How could we each hold the answers to our own wellness?