Book summary “Llewellyn's 2017 Herbal Almanac”: summary

Introduction

You likely feel a persistent disconnect from the natural world amidst the demands of modern life. This urbanized routine leaves you searching for grounded ways to integrate plants into your daily food, wellness, and home. Natalie Zaman solves this by compiling thirty-one distinct guides written by modern herbalists, gardeners, and historians. The central idea is that plants offer a complete lifestyle framework rather than mere decorative or medicinal utility.

The book moves from the soil to the stars across five key areas. You will learn how to cultivate plants, cook with foraged ingredients, and make natural remedies. You will also discover how to craft botanical items and align your gardening with lunar cycles.

• How do you design an insect-friendly medieval herb garden?
• What wild weeds can you forage safely for your kitchen?
• Which herbs support natural health and beauty routines?
• How do you dye textiles using raw plant materials?
• In what ways do lunar cycles influence your gardening success?

1. Growing and Gathering Herbs

You can design and maintain productive herb gardens by integrating medieval structures, insectaries, and square-foot methods while protecting pollinators.

Gardening in the Middle Ages served multiple functions, integrating food production, medicine, spiritual reflection, and superstition. Curators Marilyn Stokstad and Jerry Stannard identified five types of medieval gardens: cloistered monastic gardens, kitchen gardens, herbariums for medicinal plants, and patrician or pleasure gardens. The Unicorn Tapestry in the Cloisters museum depicts rich medieval botanical symbolism, including a hidden frog among a thousand flowers and a unicorn under a pomegranate tree.

Pioneered by Mel Bartholomew, the square-foot method breaks growing plots down into manageable twelve-inch segments within a larger grid. This system allows for companion planting, easy crop rotation, and precise space allocation without requiring bulky tools or excessive labor. Charlie Rainbow Wolf experimented with digging a trench for a trellis using a sixteen-foot cattle panel cut in half, growing tomatoes and muskmelons supported in lightweight muslin cradles.

Gardening Methods and Pest Control

Maintaining a clean garden removes the damp nooks and debris where pests and disease thrive. When infestations occur, physical barriers like floating row covers, custom-colored sticky traps, and gentle homemade soap or oil sprays target pests while minimizing harm to beneficial insects. Melanie Marquis has practiced organic gardening without chemical insecticides for twenty-five years.

Beneficial insects require a diversified environment that supports their entire life cycle, offering continuous nectar, pollen, moisture, and safe overwintering sites. Planting specific herb families from the carrot, mint, aster, and onion families attracts predatory and parasitic insects that naturally control destructive garden pests without toxic chemicals. Honeybees pollinate roughly 80 percent of human food crops and require continuous sources of pollen, nectar, and water. By allowing culinary and ornamental herbs to flower and avoiding broad-spectrum chemical pesticides, gardeners can provide vital feeding stations throughout spring, summer, and fall. There are 20,000 known bee species, and early honeybee ancestors originated in Eastern Asia 125 million years ago.

You can set up your plots using specific steps:

• Map out forty-eight-inch plots and use string to break them down into twelve-inch squares.
• Put paving stones around the perimeter of the plots to walk through beds without compacting the soil.
• Grow vining crops like melons, squash, cucumbers, and tomatoes up trellises to save space.
• Rotate crops immediately as one finishes by planting a new succession crop in the same square foot.
• Inspect plants regularly and remove weak or diseased specimens.
• Water early in the day so foliage and soil dry in the sunlight to deter slugs.
• Install floating row covers over plants to physically block insects while allowing sunlight and water to penetrate.
• Paint wood or cardboard rectangles in specific bug-attracting colors (yellow for whiteflies and aphids, white for flea beetles, light blue for thrips, red spheres for apple maggots) and coat with Tree Tanglefoot paste.
• Plant a mixture of herbs and flowers in a separate insectary bed or hedgerow.
• Use natural mulch such as bark, wood chips, or deciduous leaves to provide shelter.
• Install butterfly waterers by burying pie plates to their rims, filling them with coarse sand and gravel, and adding water level with the sand.
• Avoid removing spent vegetation and leave clumps of dried ornamental grasses at the end of the season for hibernation.
• Let culinary herbs flower instead of always cutting them back for foliage.
• Plant herbs of the same variety in groups of three in a sunny area.
• Provide a dedicated water source such as a birdbath, fountain, pond, or shallow waterer.
• Allow wild bee favorites like dandelions and white clover to grow in lawns instead of eradicating them.

Winter Indoor Care

Transitioning outdoor herbs indoors requires adapting them to reduced light intensities and different moisture levels to prevent shock. Using well-draining potting soil mixes, providing adequate artificial or natural light, and maintaining consistent watering schedules ensure winter survival. Compact basil varieties like 'Spicy Globe' prefer low temperatures ranging from 65 to 70 degrees Fahrenheit, while most indoor herbs prefer a soil pH range of 6.0 to 7.0.

Papaver orientale belongs to the crepe-paper flower family and has a long history of cultivation dating back to Persian antiquity. While domesticated varieties provide nutritious seeds and stunning blooms, closely related species like Papaver somniferum are heavily regulated for pharmaceutical opiate extraction. Poppies were first cultivated in Asia Minor by the Sumerians around 4000 BCE. Estha K. V. McNevin attempted three rounds of poppy growing, initially overwatering them and later harvesting too early before successfully establishing a self-seeding patch.

You can manage your indoor and specialty plants with these practices:

• Pot up woody perennial herbs like rosemary and sage up to six weeks before the first frost.
• Move plants to shadier outdoor locations in two-week increments to achieve reverse hardening off.
• Provide artificial fluorescent light spanning fourteen hours a day, hanging six to eight inches from plant tips.
• Water deeply once every seven to ten days when soil feels like a well-wrung sponge, draining any standing water from saucers.
• Prepare a well-doped bed with eight inches of hand-sifted loose loam soil consisting of one part old soil, two parts humus-rich compost, and one part composted raw pine sawdust.
• Place one seed every two feet along traced rows using a seed injector.
• Gently mist twice a day until germinated seeds sprout.
• Divide overgrown patches at the end of each season by digging up root clusters and separating them into eight-inch clumps.

2. Culinary Herbs and Foraging

European settlers brought plants like dandelions, clover, and plantain to the United States. Though they can choke out native ecosystems, they are packed with vitamins and can be consumed raw in salads or cooked in soups to neutralize oxalic acid. Lupa's wild greens salad recipe combines dandelions, cleavers, bittercress, broadleaf plantain, and clover flowers.

• Pick a mixture of edible leaves in late spring and early summer.
• Wash the plants thoroughly and toss them in a bowl.
• Add conventional vegetables or cut-up fruit and berries for sweetness.

Historical scarcity and high costs of exotic spices led home cooks to discover regional wild plant substitutes that replicate desired flavors. JD Hortwort notes that Pliny the Elder complained about the massive wealth flowing from the Roman Empire to India because Romans were addicted to expensive black pepper.

• Wash and pat dry 1 cup of firm, unripe nasturtium seed pods.
• Place seed pods in a 0.5-pint jar with a bay leaf.
• Boil 1 cup of white vinegar with 1 teaspoon of salt and 5 to 8 black peppercorns for 10 minutes.
• Pour liquid over seed pods, cap, cool, and refrigerate for 3 months to make poor man's capers.

Beverages and Condiments

Homemade fruit cordials are alcohol-based infusions made by steeping fruit pulp, sugar, and high-quality alcohol for several weeks. Susan Pesznecker notes that Royal Usquebaugh was a historical cordial fortified with flecks of gold leaf representing drinkable gold.

• Prepare and measure fruit, sugar, and alcohol using mise en place.
• Spoon fruit into a 1-quart glass mason jar using a canning funnel.
• Add sugar and slowly fill with vodka while stirring with a table knife to eliminate air pockets, leaving an inch of headspace.
• Screw on the lid, shake well, and store out of direct sunlight while shaking vigorously twice a day.
• Strain through a fine sieve or cheesecloth after 3 to 4 weeks into a decorative bottle.

Vinegar shrubs combine fruit, sugar, and vinegar to create a sharp, refreshing drinking syrup ideal for hot weather.

• Mix 1 part apple cider vinegar to 6 parts crushed berries and set aside undisturbed for 4 to 5 days.
• Skim off foam and strain through a sieve or cheesecloth, discarding the solid berries.
• Measure the juice and add 1 part sugar to 2 parts juice.
• Boil the juice in a large saucepan until reduced to a syrupy consistency and pour into clean jars.

3. Herbs for Health and Beauty

Targeted herbal preparations, adaptogens, and natural cosmetics help you soothe stress, balance hormones, and heal your body.

Interacting with nature and plants lowers blood pressure, reduces stress responses, and shifts human attention into restorative soft fascination. Environmental psychologists Rachel and Stephen Kaplan term the relaxed attention experienced in wilderness soft fascination, where attention drifts organically rather than being violently pulled by urban stimuli. You maintain a deep-rooted connection to the natural world. Lupa describes weeding her community garden plot in the morning, imagining she is methodically removing stressful thoughts from her mind along with the popweed and thistles.

• Take a look out the nearest window in your home or workplace daily and observe plant changes.
• Spend time with plants in your yard or surroundings, noting seasonal rhythms and animal residents.
• Stop in a wild place, clear your mind, let thoughts drift away, and focus on sensory details and individual plants.

Constant stress triggers adrenaline and cortisol elevation without physical release, straining neurological, cardiovascular, and immune systems. Adaptogens are believed to strengthen cells against all forms of stress and lower cortisol, offering an alternative to exercise when injury or illness prevents it. Susan Pesznecker explains that brilliant plant colors indicate high levels of antioxidants that block chemical deterioration associated with cellular damage, aging, and illness. Specific constituents include carotenoids for photodamage protection, proanthocyanidins for circulation, and curcumin for golden turmeric color.

Constituents and Adaptogens

Standardized preparations allow practitioners to extract active constituents effectively. Susan Pesznecker provides standard recipes for transforming fresh or dried herbs into medicinal forms.

• Water-based infusion: Add 15 grams of dried herb to 250 milliliters of near-boiling water, steep for 5 to 10 minutes, strain, and use.
• Oil-based infusion: Cover chopped fresh herbs with a carrier oil in a saucepan, warm on very low heat for several days, cool, strain, and use.
• Water-based decoction: Add 20 grams of dried herb to 500 milliliters of near-boiling water, simmer until reduced to 150 to 200 milliliters, strain, and use.
• Alcohol tincture: Combine 100 grams of dried herb with 350 milliliters alcohol and 150 milliliters water, store in a cool place for two weeks shaking occasionally, strain, press, and use.
• Cream: Mix warm infused oil with enough lanolin or grated beeswax to create the desired consistency as it cools.

Pubertal mood swings and physical side effects in teenagers are largely driven by a congested liver struggling to process sudden hormonal surges. When teens consume unhealthy foods and drinks with refined sugars, fats, and caffeine, the liver becomes overwhelmed and underfunctioning, resulting in mood swings, acne, and behavioral outbursts. Dallas Jennifer Cobb describes how her thirteen-year-old daughter came home from school, burst into tears without knowing why, and needed twenty minutes of quiet time to feel better. Specific herbs like angelica, chamomile, chaste tree berry, dandelion, lemon balm, and valerian can alleviate the emotional and physical side effects of puberty.

Teens and DIY Cosmetics

Making cold-process soap requires precise measurement of oils and lye, strict safety protocols, and a proper curing period to ensure safety and quality. Bridgette Taylor worked with Deborah Castellano to create the basic four-oil cold process soap recipe using 14.4 ounces olive oil, 8 ounces coconut oil, 6.4 ounces palm oil, and 3.2 ounces castor oil. Safety measures such as wearing gloves, using vinegar to neutralize lye spills, and testing pH ensure the soap is safe and does not exceed a pH of 10.

• Weigh water and lye in separate containers, and add lye to water slowly while stirring until dissolved.
• Let the lye mixture cool to around 90 degrees Fahrenheit and melted oils to under 100 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Spray molds with cooking spray and add lye water to oils while stirring slowly, using a hand blender to fully integrate the batter.
• Pour batter into molds, cover with plastic wrap, insulate with a towel if cold, and cure at room temperature for 24 hours.
• Remove soap from molds, air dry for at least half a day, cut into sections, and lay out on butcher paper to harden and cure for at least a month.

4. Herb Crafts and Natural Dyes

Traditional fiber arts, paper crafts, and dye gardens allow you to transform raw botanical materials into functional decorations.

Paper and Pomanders

Undesirable weeds and recycled paper can be combined to make handmade decorative paper. You can create this unique Weedy Paper by following simple steps:

• Press a bunch of weeds between heavy books until dry.
• Tear up recycling bin paper into little pieces.
• Add 0.5 cup of paper scraps to 2 cups of water in a blender and blend for 30 seconds.
• Pour the pulp into a larger container and add food coloring and dried weeds.
• Dip a screen mold into the pulp, lift it, and shake it to distribute evenly.
• Press the mold pulp-down on an old bath towel and sponge away water, then leave to dry for a few days.

Pomanders serve historically as protective amulets and luxury jewelry against bad odors, evolving into simple, fragrant holiday ornaments. Cardinal Thomas Wolsey used an orange with the inside removed and filled with a sponge and aromatic vinegar as a simple protective pomander. You can craft your own orange or apple pomander using a 1.25-ounce jar (or more) of whole cloves and a 24-36 inches length of ribbon:

• Using the permanent marker, draw dots on the orange's skin; each dot marks where you will place a clove.
• Drive the straight pin into each dot before pushing the cloves into the orange according to your pattern.
• When all the cloves are in, place your orange in the bowl of cinnamon and roll it around.
• Thread the ribbon through the tapestry needle, then carefully pass it through the orange, in through the bottom and out through the top.
• Pass the needle back through the top and out at the bottom so that you have a loop at the top of the fruit and two loose ribbon ends at the bottom.
• Knot off the loop and slide the orange up the ribbons so that it lies tight against the knot.
• Secure the pomander on the ribbon by tying a tightly knotted bow at the bottom.

Dye Gardens and Natural Colors

Growing a dye garden allows fiber artists to extract natural pigments from plants to color yarn, utilizing metallic mordants to aid absorption and alter hues.

Plant pigments exist in small percentages and require specific extraction methods and mordants to fix the dye, brighten colors, or shift shades on natural fibers like wool. If you mordant hollyhock blossoms with alum you get a burnt purple color, but if you mordant with tin, it becomes a shade of olive green. The earliest written record of the use of natural dyes in China dates back to 2600 BCE. William Henry Perkin discovered the first synthetic dye stuff, mauve, in 1856. Over 8,000 Hexaplex trunculus creatures were required to produce just one gram of purple dye. You can prepare your own dye garden bed with these steps:

• Remove the sod and any debris or roots from your planned dye garden bed.
• Dig in deep to loosen the soil and work in a lot of compost to improve drainage and retain water and nutrients.
• Top off the soil layer with a layer of mulch.

5. History, Myth, Lore, and Lunar Cycles

Botanical history, cultural folklore, and lunar astrology provide you with a deeper framework for timing and understanding plant life.

Plant Lore and Etymology

Common English herb names originated in medieval times or earlier. They served as descriptive indicators of a plant's medical use, appearance, or toxic properties. In Old English, the suffix wort meant a medicinal herb. Specific names pointed to therapeutic applications, such as liverwort for liver congestion. Conversely, a bane signified a poisonous plant derived from the Old English word bana meaning death or destruction.

Wolfsbane was so poisonous in all its parts that its juice was used on arrowheads to kill ferocious wolves. Banewort was used by shamanic priests for astral projection.

Pre-industrial European farmers held animistic views. They perceived grains and crops as sentient beings accompanied by folklore spirits, animals, and demons that personified the struggles of the harvest. Folklorists labeled these entities corn spirits because corn was a general term for all grains in the UK.

Beatrix Potter achieved deep emotional resonance and enchantment in her children's stories by grounding her fantasy illustrations in strict scientific and botanical accuracy. She used her extensive knowledge of natural history, mycology, and entomology to paint scientifically correct plants, insects, and fungi. Her dedication to realism extended to copying period furniture and architectural replicas like real potting sheds and museum items, which suspended readers' disbelief.

In The Tale of Miss Tittlemouse, a toad encounters a Red Admiral butterfly, and in The Toads’ Tea Party, toads sit on scallop-shaped chairs made of dryad’s saddle fungus. Potter purchased and saved 4,000 acres of Lake District farm country during her lifetime.

Lunar Tables and Pest Control

The lunation cycle is the approximately 29.5-day circuit of the moon from new moon to full moon and back again. The author explains that this circuit is split into specific quarters that dictate varying energetic qualities for growth, activity, culmination, and introspection.

The first quarter begins at the new moon and favors the germination and externalization of new projects and ideas. The second quarter starts halfway between the new moon and full moon at a 90-degree square angle, focusing on the growth of existing things. The third quarter begins at the full moon when the sun and moon are opposite each other, representing culmination and fruition. The fourth quarter occurs halfway between the full moon and new moon, providing a time for disintegration, reorganization, and reflection.

Zodiac signs alter the daily influence of the moon:

• Moon in Aries favors fast-paced new initiatives lacking staying power.
• Moon in Taurus ensures long-lasting results that increase in value.
• Moon in Gemini supports quick thinking and communication.
• Moon in Cancer stimulates emotional rapport and plant growth.
• Moon in Leo highlights public entertainment and showmanship.
• Moon in Virgo emphasizes detail-oriented tasks, hygiene, and daily schedules.
• Moon in Libra favors partnerships and artistic teamwork.
• Moon in Scorpio increases psychic awareness and deep research.
• Moon in Sagittarius encourages honesty and improvement.
• Moon in Capricorn demands structure, discipline, and long-term planning.
• Moon in Aquarius favors humanitarian and unique societal efforts.
• Moon in Pisces supports introspection, meditation, and artistic endeavors.

Specific calendar windows aligned with particular zodiac signs and lunar quarters are designated for destroying weeds and pests effectively.

10 Key Ideas

1. Pioneered by Mel Bartholomew, the square-foot method breaks growing plots down into manageable twelve-inch segments within a larger grid to allow for companion planting and precise space allocation.
2. European settlers brought plants like dandelions, clover, and plantain to the United States that are packed with vitamins and can be consumed raw in salads or cooked in soups.
3. Historical scarcity and high costs of exotic spices led home cooks to discover regional wild plant substitutes that replicate desired flavors like poor man's capers made from nasturtium seed pods.
4. Homemade fruit cordials are alcohol-based infusions made by steeping fruit pulp, sugar, and high-quality alcohol for several weeks, referencing historical cordials fortified with flecks of gold leaf.
5. Adaptogens are believed to strengthen cells against all forms of stress and lower cortisol, offering an alternative to exercise when injury or illness prevents it.
6. Bridgette Taylor worked with Deborah Castellano to create the basic four-oil cold process soap recipe using olive oil, coconut oil, palm oil, and castor oil.
7. You can craft your own orange or apple pomander using a 1.25-ounce jar of whole cloves and a 24-36 inches length of ribbon to serve as a fragrant ornament.
8. Growing a dye garden allows fiber artists to extract natural pigments from plants to color yarn, utilizing metallic mordants to aid absorption and alter hues.
9. Beatrix Potter achieved deep emotional resonance and enchantment in her children's stories by grounding her fantasy illustrations in strict scientific and botanical accuracy.
10. The lunation cycle is the approximately 29.5-day circuit of the moon split into specific quarters that dictate varying energetic qualities for growth, activity, culmination, and introspection.