Bedside Reading.....

...ummm, that's only if I can get through a few pages before dozing off. Not at all a reflection on the juicy content of the books, just that it's the end of a very long day!! But who doesn't love falling asleep reading books they love and dreaming of herbs? Forget the 'escape novels' by my bed. I already live in Paradise. I only need more hours in a day to play with all of these recipes! Maybe I should just take the books downstairs and keep them there ...but who has time to languish over them when the sun is shining? The eternal dilemma, is it not? All joking aside, these books hold amazing springtime inspiration for me. Check them out:

Compiled by my pal Tina over at The Essential Herbal in Lancaster County with a bounty of recipes submitted by many long distance herb pals from the Essential Herbal Yahoo Group, yours truly, included. Oh by the way, Friends of the Farm, I do have a supply here....otherwise, go bug Tina and tell her I sent you. hehheh. This one is always on the top of the pile...

This is a brand new find that I'm still reading through, but I'm continually amazed all the things you can do with stinging nettles. Neat book. I got this on Amazon.

This little beauty was published by herb friend Peter Gail from Goosefoot Acres in Cleveland, Ohio...Believe it or not, I actually have two autographed copies of this book. The MAN spent some time with Peter at a conference last fall, and knowing how much I LOVE the violas, bought me a copy and had Peter autograph it for me. He didnt know that I already had my own copy autographed 4 or 5 years before. Anyway, Peter is really known as the Dandelion Guy, but I can't find that book on my shelf at the moment...hmmm, who did I loan that to? Anyway, I'd be willing to give away my first copy (I'll keep the one my MAN brought me) Anyone interested?? I know all you lurking violet lovers out there. Please throw your name into the comment 'hat' and I will draw a name at noon on Friday and announce the winner here on this post. Don't forget to check back! Good Luck and may the Violets be with you!!!!
(Seems the server is down for www.Edibleweeds.com...I'll check back on this link later)

Plant Names and Plant Lore...

...Among the Pennsylvania Germans. This is a book that I have wanted on my bookshelf for a very long time. I finally found it and splurged. big time. It's an oldie but goodie, published way before the age of internet herbal knowledge, in 1927 by the Pennsylvania German Society. The information within was gathered for nearly twenty years before it was finally published. There were several reasons why I wanted this book: All the plants mentioned are strictly native to Pennsylvania (with a few brought from Europe) making this a valuable study in useful local plants. The plants are listed by their common names (and Latin names) but also list the dialect names, which are increasingly hard to locate. When talking to old-timers about useful plants, they may only know them by their Deitsch name, making identification much more difficult unless we are both looking at the plant at the same time. Having a list of Deitsch names will help me immensely. Finally, to quote one of the authors, Thomas Brendle, in reference to their interview process for the book: "We found that "the women" are the household oracles and much of the lore which we recorded is "Alderweiwerglawwe". In other words, 'a granny's belief'. I think it safe to say that the women who were "herb grannies" at the turn of the century are gone now, possibly even the daughters and granddaughters who inherited their wisdom, making this book an invaluable resource to the cultural heritage. My cultural heritage. The book is very fragile, but I read it from cover to cover like it was a delicious novel. I will page through it more slowly now, and absorb it, little by little, and learn the dialect names of plants that I handle everyday. I hope to share some of it here on these blog posts. I'm not a granny...but I really like that word 'Alderweiwerglawwe'... because I tend to believe what the Grannies have to to tell us. And, someday I wanna be a granny who is heard, too.