I found it insightful and well written. The information presented was clear and helpful, I enjoyed the inclusion of recipes for your forged goods.

I love to foarge herbs , it will be great if we can identify the herbs. This book is a great book for herb lovers . There are recipes using herbs......

This is a gorgeous introduction to herbal remedies, including some that you can forage and grow yourself. Artemisia provides basic instructions on how to make things like teas, tinctures and syrups, plus a variety of simple recipes for remedies like bug spray and ear oil. I appreciate that she has very simple, stripped down recipes that just involve the important elements in some cases. For example, her elderberry syrup recipe is the same as mine -- simply dried elderberries, water and honey. So many folks make it seem as if you need 8 ingredients and make it much more complicated than it has to be. In other places, she goes for the 9 ingredient version, like her allergy-away remedy. While I'm sure that's great, you can also simply use one or two plants like stinging nettle and elderflowers to manage allergies, too.

There are color photos throughout, many of which seem to be stock images but some of which seem to be taken for the book. There are also helpful charts and drawings. It is also a really beautifully designed book, a pleasure to flip through and read.

This will be a great introduction book for beginners and will be likely to teach experienced foragers and herbalists a few things. It is not a comprehensive book and does not get into specifics like dosages other than for animal remedies. I'm assuming this is for legal reasons but it makes it difficult (and ill advised) to actually use many of the herbs. For instance, she has a profile of black walnuts and talks about how good they are for worms and says that many children end up with worms. Then she says a black walnut tincture can work quickly on ringworm both topically and internally, and that pinworms also respond well to black walnut tincture. That's it for instructions. I don't know of any parent who's going to guess that their child has worms (there's not really information on how to know or know what type) and then guess at dosages of homemade black walnut tincture -- especially internally. Or at least I hope so. There's quite a lot of this sort of thing, information to give you an idea about something but not enough to actually use it. For this reason, it's a great book if you want to learn more but don't plan to really use most of it. I recommend all of Rosemary Gladstar's books and following Susun Weed on Facebook (or on her website) for more detailed information and specific herbs and remedies.

All that said, this is still a beautiful, helpful, informative book. It would make a great addition to an herbal library, especially for beginners.

My rating system:
1 = hated it
2 = it was okay
3 = liked it
4 = really liked it
5 = love it, plan to purchase, and/or would buy it again if it was lost

Genuinely beautiful, with lots of great ideas and gorgeous photographs. This makes for a really pleasant read, and is a lovely addition to any herbalists's shelves.

I wasn't sure what to expect, but I enjoyed reading this. An interesting story with fun characters. Well written.

The Herbal Handbook for Homesteaders is an encyclopedia and herbal for using farmed herbs and foraged ingredients to improve and maintain health and welfare. Author Abby Artemisia is a botanist, educator, wildcrafter, and herbalist. The author is a professional and that is reflected in the text, but it seems to have found a balance between 'formal western medicine' and 'happy hippy'.

The handbook is logically laid out, with an introduction and how-to tutorial chapter explaining the tools and collection methods for different materials. There's a nice sub-chapter on harvesting and storing as well as sustainability and ethics (nothing too heavy, just common sense). The author has included an example log sheet for use in the logbook.

I liked that the author suggested keeping a journal/stillroom book (the author refers to it properly as my link textmateria medica). Writing down what worked or didn't work, reactions, collection locations for foraged plants, etc is so vitally important for safety and consistent results.

The following chapters are roughly grouped by theme or medical issue. There are chapters on the immune system, skin (including bug repellents), allergies, etc. There are also a number of recipes for teas, decoctions, infusions, salves, tinctures, liniments, imbrocations, and a few other preparations scattered throughout the text. These are cross referenced in the index with physical complaints (sore throat, allergy, etc).

The book includes a resource list (with links aimed at the North American reader), bibliography and short index.

This is obviously a well written, well presented treatise which comes from the author's experience and passion for her subject matter.

Four stars.

easy to understand, not formal. Gives resources at end - small annotation style. It is full of information from start to finish. You do get some recipes. It is an introduction to a lot of different things.

The greatest gift one generation can give another is to pass along knowledge such as this. Our grandparents used what grew around them to keep their families safe and healthy. No drug store on the corner. I've been growing and utilizing herbs for many years but even I learned some new uses for old friends and was introduced to some new friends. The book gives enough visual support to insure the reader can safely use their new found knowledge while they expand and improve the outdoor experience. This is definitely a must read for anyone looking to enhance their lives through herbalism.

There is something so primal and fulfilling about being able to gather, identify, and grow plants and herbs for your own use. I loved that this book is focused on herbs and does its job of helping readers learn about herbs and why they are important for everyday use. What I specifically liked about this book is the amount of detail the authors put into this book and the descriptions. It feels as if they are genuinely trying to teach the reader about herbs and their use, as well as help cultivate positive ideas and notions about including herbs in everyday life. This book does a fantastic job with the step-by-step details as well as making sure to include ample photographs in the text. This is a must-have for anyone who is interested in herbs or incorporating more natural elements in their lifestyle.

An interesting book, with a lot of visuals and details. At times though I was a little overwhelmed, and not sure if I would trust anything I tried to make. Like the layout of different chapters for usage, and also liked that there were recipes for animal usage too. Nice to keep the dogs and cats safe. Would recommend.

This is one of the best herbal handbooks I have ever read. This easy to understand book covers proper herb garden harvesting, dehydrating, making teas, tinctures and more. I grow herbs almost all year long and now have so many ideas on how to use them. I love this book.

I am really fond of foraging and using herbs for different purposes. In this book, I found interesting idea about herbs and therefore recommends it to everyone interested in nature and using herbs.

I thought I knew a fair amount about herbs and how to use them, but after reading this book I realized I knew next to nothing!

I enjoyed the learning about new herbs and learning new ways to use herbs that I already have growing in my garden. The recipes were easy to follow and the photos were beautiful.

I really enjoyed this book! It was very educational and practical. I loved learning about each herb and was grateful for the wealth of information on each herb including contraindications. The recopies were easy to follow and provided clear, beautiful photos for each step. After reading this, I'm ready to truly start using herbs.

This is a visually-appealing collection of information and recipes for those who are new to the world of herbs. While it's aimed at homesteaders, it would be appropriate for anyone interested in learning more about herbs. I liked how the author included some background information about the herbs, information about sustainable sourcing, and then some recipes (including common and not-so-common ones) for each herb. She also addresses contraindications, which I don't often see in herbal books. Nicely done!

As much as I would like to read and review the Herbal Handbook for Homesteaders, I am unable to open and read the book in the provided format. Apologies for no review.