Mary Preus - The Northwest Herb Lovers Handbook: A Guide to Growing Herbs for Cooking, Crafts, and Home Remedies

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Table of Contents

To herb lovers of all times and places, whose fascination, study, and passion for these remarkable plants carries on a living tradition.

acknowledgments

Many people helped me as I wrote this book, and to them Id like to express my appreciation herbally, with an imaginary tussie mussie (or nosegay) of herbs and flowers, each carrying a special message of thanks and affection.

First and foremost, a fragrant rose for love to Bob Crew, for being a great husband and for his loving support that never wavered. Heartsease and happy thoughts to Miriam and Eve Preus and Geoff and Tinker Crew for being family. Sage for long and healthy life to my mom, Marie DeGroot, who in many ways made my Silver Bay Herb Farm adventure possible; my dad, Paul Preus, for his ready wit and wisdom; and Aunt Louise Luce, who has always believed in me. Fennel to Jean Galbreath, my right-hand woman at Silver Bay, who is worthy of all praise. Clove gillyflowers (pinks) to signify affection to all my other friends for keeping my life in balance.

Sweet marjoram for joy to all the people at Sasquatch Books, especially Gary Luke, who first suggested expanding my little green book, Growing Herbs, and patiently did what it took to set it in motion; Novella Carpenter, who combines personal charm with excellent editorial assistance; and Karen Schober, for getting excited about my photographs. Coriander for hidden worth to the others on the staff who helped to make this book a reality.

Sweet basil for good wishes to Jane Chapin, Phyllis Cleven, Jean Galbreath, Frankie Graham, Diana Isaiou, Ricki Johnson, Caprial and John Pence, Barbara Stedman, Karen Story, James Walsh, and Steve Whippo, who generously shared their recipes. Mint for warmth of feeling to Karen Triplett, the Medicinal Herb Garden at the University of Washington, and Susan Dearth and Marilyn Hepner at Gardenscapes for welcoming me to photograph their gardens, and to Sandy and Jack Livingstone of Sunshine Herb Farm, for keeping me current on the latest herb varieties.

Heres lavender for luck to John Kimble, Head Gardener at Freeway Park in Seattle for help with the tricky Latin names and for good companionship; David McDonald, Resource Conservation Planner at Seattle Public Utilities for his valuable comments on composting and worm bins; and to Ken Plante of Molbaks, for being there to answer all manner of gardening questions.

Ill tuck in rosemary for remembrance to the many authors listed in the bibliography, whose works provided a wealth of information, inspiration, and enjoyment. Lastly, forget-me-nots to my customers at Silver Bay Herb Farm, for all the questions, ideas, recipes, conversations, and most of all for the happy times that linger as precious memories in my heart.

Mary Preus

introduction

The life of man in this world is but a thraldom, when the Sences are not pleased; and what rarer object can there be on earth, (the motions of the Celestial bodies excepted) then a beautifull and Odiferous Garden plat Artificially composed, where he may read and contemplate on the wonderfull works of the great Creator, in Plants and Flowers; for if he observeth with a judicial eye, and a serious judgement their variety of Colours, Sents, Beauty, Shapes, Interlacing, Enamiling, Mixture, Turnings, Windings, Embosments, Operations and Vertues, it is most admirable to behold, and meditate upon the same. But now to my Garden of Flowers and sweet Hearbs...

THOMAS HYLL, The Gardeners Labyrinth, 1568

My adventures
in the richly varied
world of herbs began
when I rooted six
rosemary cuttings
in a clay pot.

Once introduced, I soon fell in love with herbstheir forms, their scents, their powers and properties, their history and their quaint descriptions written hundreds of years ago. What began as a hobby became a passion, and blossomed into a business called Silver Bay Herb Farm, located on the shores of Puget Sound. For more than twenty years, I lived and breathed herbs, learning everything I could about these fascinating plants and sharing my knowledge and enthusiasm with customers at the farm.

In response to my customers often-voiced questions about how to grow and use herbs I wrote a concise, practical book called Growing Herbs, published by Sasquatch Books in 1994. It was a distillation of my experience, written especially for Northwest gardeners. With Growing Herbs I hoped to open the door to the world of herbs, and provided detailed information on how to grow, harvest, and use twenty-four herbs with culinary and ornamental value. That small book was well received, and Ive treasured the comments of native Northwesterners and people who are new to our unique region who tell me that its their herb bible, the easiest to use and most informative book on the subject.

Since Growing Herbs was published, herbs have entered the mainstream and begun to change our lives in their quiet, unassuming ways. Look around, and youll see them everywhere. In newspapers and magazines, they are the subject of feature articles. In the grocery store, herbal teas take their place right alongside more conventional brews. In the drugstore, herbal medicines once regarded skeptically as folk remedies are offered as phytomedicines with curative effects so well documented by scientific research that even the medical establishment is taking note. In public parks and home gardens, herbs are flourishing in all manner of pots, plots, and landscape designs as their ornamental and drought-resistant qualities become more widely known. Not only have more and more Northwesterners discovered the world of herbs, but many have become very knowledgeable about it.

Still, people keep asking me questions. Its only natural that the original big question, How do I get started growing herbs? leads to the next, What do I do with the herbs Im growing? Or to put it differently, for every customer who wonders, How do I pinch back my basil? theres another whos asking, Would borage flowers be good with an anise hyssop punch? or Should I strain the roots out of my homemade echinacea tincture? or Do I harvest the leaves of my lemon verbena before taking it indoors for the winter?

The world of herbs is so huge and diverse that it can never be completely known. Thats one thing that keeps it interesting. It includes more than 2,000 useful plants that belong to scores of botanical families, from ground-hugging Corsican mint to pesky weeds like dandelion, garden flowers like nasturtium, vining hops, and tall bay trees. Although Growing Herbs did cover the basics, as part of the Cascadia Gardening Series it was very compressed, and there are far more than twenty-four herbs worth knowing. So, with the encouragement of Gary Luke at Sasquatch, I decided to expand that slim volume into a larger work that will guide you further, deeper into the world of herbs.

The Northwest Herb Lovers Handbook contains more than twice as much information as Growing Herbs, all within the Northwest context. Youll find comprehensive descriptions of fifty herbs that thrive in our region, including some that grow wild for the picking. Youll learn how to bring these herbs into your life to enhance the food you eat, your surroundings, and your general well-being on an everyday basis. Ive included recipes, formulas, and directions for practical ways to use herbs that are also quick and easy for people with demanding schedules.

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