A Gift of Herbs

How to make easy, inexpensive and thoughtful gifts using herbs

FROM A REVIEWER...

I've been reviewing a lot of gift books recently. They have been big, pretty, full of color pictures, impossible not to like. It would be mean-spirited to say these sumptuous confections are a lot of empty calories. They do give you quick energy in the form of eye-pleasing fantasies.

This is a different sort of gift book. It tells you how to make gifts, and the title is completely accurate: the projects are easy, inexpensive, and thoughtful. You could also give this sweet book as a gift to an intrepid herbalist. But it's not like the gift books noted above. The book is small, with simple line drawings, no photos. The writing is a little breathless and unpolished. But if you like to play with herbs and make things to give away or even sell, this book is full of ideas.

"My favorite is a pet flea rinse that actually smells acceptable to my dear dogs, Lucky and Girl. As the author notes, the store-bought stuff sends most dogs straight to the mud hole to rid themselves of the alcohol-perfume scent. I also like the herbal bath salts. The good smells of herbal teas, oils, vinegars, splashes, and sachets almost come through the pages. Read the chapter on herb decorations if you need a quick good present or just a little lift around your own house. (I knew the directions were good when the author sang a paean of praise to her glue gun. The glue gun is the best invention since Velcro.) All the directions are explicit, clear, and, above all, simple. You don't have to be Julia Child, Leonardo da Vinci, or Coco Chanel to make these gifts. The author also has great tips on how to wrap them - a nice extra touch.

Congratulations to Heidi Hartwiger. Not only did she do all the research and crafting and writing, she then published the book as a gift to us. I like seeing that kind of determined spirit, especially when the results are so full of good ideas.

Carol La Branche, The Herb Companion

152 pages, 5.5 X 8.5 inches, Softcover, Down Home Press, ASIN: 1878086235