The Sage Cottage Cookbook, 2nd: Celebrations, Recipes, and Herb Gardening Tips for Every Month of the Year

Rating:
Summary: More than just a cookbook!
Review: Full of herbal lore and facinating info, the author describes a celebration each month and covers "thymely" seasonal recipes to help with the festivities. From January's "Twelfth Night" to "Leyden Day" in October, these wild and often forgotten celebrations are a wonderful framework for fun and frivolity through the seasons. Recipes range from out of the ordinary- Queen Anne's Lace Jelly II and Fennel Tuna with Lavender, to tried and true- Oven Omlete and Chili Con Carne. Tips and Hints abound as well. I really enjoyed the herbal lore woven throughout the monthly themes- (it is said that parsley goes seven times to the Devil because it germinates so slowly!) I will be turning to this book again and again as the year turns.

Rating:
Summary: GOOD, BUT NOT GREAT
Review: Full of herbal lore and facinating info, the author describes a celebration each month and covers "thymely" seasonal recipes to help with the festivities. From January's "Twelfth Night" to "Leyden Day" in October, these wild and often forgotten celebrations are a wonderful framework for fun and frivolity through the seasons. Recipes range from out of the ordinary- Queen Anne's Lace Jelly II and Fennel Tuna with Lavender, to tried and true- Oven Omlete and Chili Con Carne. Tips and Hints abound as well. I really enjoyed the herbal lore woven throughout the monthly themes- (it is said that parsley goes seven times to the Devil because it germinates so slowly!) I will be turning to this book again and again as the year turns.

Rating:
Summary: GOOD, BUT NOT GREAT
Review: This recipe/gardening book goes through the months of the year, giving gardening tips, and recipes along the way. Seasonal holidays are discussed, and appropriate recipes are suggested. Cute idea, and the gardening tips are good ( I especially appreciated the list of flowers you can safely eat), but this book just doesn't knock my socks off. The recipes are a bit boring and bland, and the holidays are really silly. How many people are going to celebrate Seneca Corn Festival, or the Feast of San Ysidro? Or how about Amelia Bloomer's Birthday, or the ever-exciting Republic Day?
Instead of this book, I would suggest the great book by Millie Owen, "A Cook's Guide to Growing Herbs, Greens & Aromatics." MUCH better recipes, gardening tips, and writing quality.