Backyard Diva

Herb and Small Scale Farming Magazine Recommendations

Here are a few magazine recommendations for anyone into gardening, small scale farming or herbs. I have subscribed to most of the magazines, at some point during the past few years. My magazine subscriptions are limited to just a few magazines per year, so I usually rotate my subscriptions around each year.

I have written articles in the past for Back Home and The Herb Quarterly.

Back Home

• 6 issue per year
• Focuses on do-it-yourself information on sustainable, self reliant living, including growing and cooking with herbs.
• www.backhomemagazine.com

Hobby Farms

• 6 issues per year
• A magazine for rural enthusiasts; small farm equipment, livestock, crops
• Published by Bow Tie, Inc.
• www.hobbyfarms.com

Hobby Farm Home

• 6 issues per year
• Highlights farmhouse activities such as cooking, crafting and pet care
• Published by Bow Tie, Inc.
• www.hobbyfarms.com/hobby-farm-home.aspx

Mother Earth News

• 6 issues per year
• Focuses on herbs, gardening, small scale farming, organic foods, country living, renewable energy
• Published by Ogden Publications
• www.motherearthnews.com

Organic Gardening

• 12 issues per year
• Organic gardening, cooking, small scale farming
• Published by Rodale, Inc.
• www.organicgardening.com
  

The Herb Companion

• 6 issues per year
• Focuses on gardening and cooking with herbs
• Published by Ogden Publications
• www.herbcompanion.com

The Herb Quarterly

• 4 issues per year
• Focuses on growing herbs, cooking with herbs, medicinal herbs, folklore of herbs
• Published by EGW Publishing Company
• www.herbquarterly.com

Urban Farm

• 4 issues per year
• Focuses on sustainable city living, local food movement, urban farming
• Available at newsstands only, not available by subscription
• Published by Fancy Publications

Take care,
Lynn Smythe AKA the Backyard Diva

Monk Herbalists

Image:  [Brynn Bruijn]/Saudi Aramco World/PADIA

Monk Herbalists

At larger monasteries one monk may have been assigned the duty of herbalist. It was the herbalist's duty to study the many medicinal herbs grown in the monastery. The herbalist would also be responsible for the preparation of the various ointments and lotions that the monastery's physician would have used while tending the sick. The monk-herbalist probably had a stillroom or workshop where he could dry and store the herbs and create the various tinctures and salves that were a necessary part of daily medieval monastery life.

"No joy is so great in a life of seclusion as that of gardening. No matter what the soil may be, sandy or heavy clay, on a hill or a slope, it will serve well."
-Walafrid Strabo, Hortulus, c. 840 AD

Hortulus

Hortulus was a poem written by the German monk Walafrid Strabo in the 9th century. Strabo, who lived from 808-849 AD, was the Abbot of Reichenau, an island monastery located on Lake Constance in Switzerland. Hortulus, which translates to "The Little Garden", describes Strabo's personal monastery garden. The poem contains descriptions of the many herbs that were grown in his garden along with their medicinal uses.

"Amongst my herbs, sage holds the place of honour; of good scent it is and full of virtue for many ills."
-Walafrid Strabo, Hortulus, c. 840 AD

The Plants

Some of the plants that are mentioned in the poem include the following:

Betony - Stachys officinalis - betony was thought to be a sort of panacea in the Middle Ages and a wide range of symptoms and problems were thought to be alleviated by this wonder herb. An infusion made of the leaves helped to relieve headaches.

Catmint - Nepeta cataria - an infusion of the leaves was used to relieve cold symptoms and to help calm a nervous disposition.

Chervil - Anthriscus cerefolium - this herb was used as a blood purifier and to warm and sooth a weak stomach.

Horehound - Marrubium vulgare - the juice expressed from the leaves was mixed with honey and used to relieve coughs and colds.

Poppies - Papaver somniferous - a syrup was made of the seed heads and used as a sleep potion, pain reliever and cough medicine. This is the opium poppy from which morphine, heroine and codeine are derived and is currently subject to legal restrictions.

Southernwood - Artemisia abrotanum - this plant was used to rid the body of worms and as an insect repellent. The ashes were mixed with oil and rubbed into the scalp to help restore lost hair.

Wormwood - Artemisia absinthium - wormwood was used as a strewing herb to help repel fleas. It was also used to flavor alcoholic beverages such as beer before hops became readily available. An infusion made of the leaves was supposed to help with stomach disorders along with being able to expel worms from the intestines.

Shrewsbury Quest

The Shrewsbury Quest is located in Great Britain and is a renovated medieval Benedictine monastery which opened to the public in 1994. The gardens are based on a plan of the monastic gardens of Christ Church, Canterbury c. 1165.

Brother Cadfael is a fictional character created by the late novelist Ellis Peter. Brother Cadfael was a monk, gardener and herbalist featured in the 20 books of Peter's Cadfael Chronicles. Some of the herbs that were grown by Brother Cadfael included gilvers (clove-pinks), gromwell, ginger, columbine, herb of grace and mustard. As a tribute to Brother Cadfael the Shrewsbury Quest includes Cadfael's Herb Garden, Cadfael's Private Gardens and Cadfael's Workshop.

Resources

Bayard, Tania. Sweet Herbs and Sundry Flowers; Medieval Gardens and the Gardens of the Cloisters. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, David R. Godine Publisher, 1985.

Hales, Mick. Monastic Gardens. Stewart, Tabori and Chang, 2000.

MacDougall, Elisabeth B. (ed.). Dumbarton Oaks Colloquium on the History of Landscape Architecture IX. Dumbarton Oaks Research Library and Collection, 1986. "The Medieval Monastic Garden." Paul Meyvaret, pages 23-54.

Peplow, Elizabeth & Reginald Peplow. In a Monastery Garden. David & Charles, 1988.

Whiteman, Robin. Brother Cadfael's Herb Garden; An Illustrated Companion to Medieval Plants and Their Uses. Boston: Little, Brown and Company, 1997.

Take care,
Lynn Smythe AKA the Backyard Diva

Four Season Harvest

Yesterday I wrote about Eliot Coleman’s book The New Organic Grower. Today I’m writing about another one of Eliot’s book that is in my personal library - Four Season Harvest.

Four Season Harvest: Organic Vegetables From Your Home Garden All Year Long, was originally published in 1992. A revised and expanded edition was published in 1999 by Chelsea Green Publishing Company. I have a copy of the paperback book, which is 234 pages long. Four Season Harvest contains many b/w illustrations by Kathy Bray, and  color photographs taken by Eliot’s wife, Barbara Damrosch.

I currently live in a USDA gardening zone 10 in SE Florida, so I can pretty much garden year round. There is a bit of a problem with high heat and humidity during the summer months, but heat loving crops such as peppers, okra and certain herbs can still be grown in the summer. I am doing research for having a four-season garden when we finally relocate to western North Carolina. We have 4 1/2 acres of land in an area which is a USDA zone 7. I would like to be able to grow salad greens, and other items, during the winter months.

Four Season Harvest discusses micro-climates, cold frames, high tunnels, greenhouses, root cellars and other items which can be used by the home gardener to help extend their growing season into the winter months. It also discusses how certain crops, such as carrots, parsley and onions, can be left in the ground, and with a little protection, be harvested throughout the winter.

I can’t think of a better review of the book, than to quote a few words from Eliot himself, taken from his introduction to the book:

“The surprise of our winter garden is how simple it is. Winter vegetables will thrive in any winter climate with a little protection from wind and weather. No heating, or high-tech systems are necessary. The keys to success are a new attitude and new crops.”

I highly recommend this book for anyone that is interested in growing their own herbs and vegetables.

Take care,
Lynn Smythe AKA the Backyard Diva

The New Organic Grower

I am a big fan of organic gardening, that’s how I grow all my herbs, vegetables and butterfly plants. My husband always threatens to go out and buy a big jug of Roundup, to spray all over the yard to kill the weeds. I don’t mind a few weeds, as long as I know that anything I pick from my yard is safe to eat. Leave the stinking chemicals for someone else.

I am also a big fan of Eliot Coleman. Eliot, along with his wife Barbara Damrosch, used to host the TV show, Gardening Naturally, on the Learning Channel. Eliot, with over 30 years of organic gardening experience, is the author of 3 books, and has contributed chapters to many other gardening books.

I own a copy of Eliot’s book The New Organic Grower; A Master Manual of Tools and Techniques for the Home and Market Gardener. The book, which was first published in 1989, was revised and expanded in 1995. The New Organic Grower, at 340 pages long, contains TONS of fantastic information on all aspects of organic gardening. Although parts of the book go into a bit too much detail for the average home gardener, there is still quite a bit of information that can be incorporated into your own organic garden.

I found the chapters on crop rotation, green manures, direct seeding and season extension to be particularly helpful. If I ever decided to start a small farm, the chapters on part-time help, marketing strategy and livestock will certainly be of interest. Don’t laugh, I have contemplated having a small farm for many years. We own 4 1/2 acres of virgin land in western North Carolina. A couple of goats to keep the weeds at bay, a couple of chickens for fresh eggs, a couple of guinea hens for pest control, maybe a donkey to be the guard dog/farm mascot - who knows!?!

I highly recommend getting a copy of The New Organic Grower for your own bookshelf. I also own a copy of Eliot’s book Four Season Harvest, which I will review in a future post to the Herb Gardens site.

Take care,
Lynn Smythe AKA the Backyard Diva

All New Square Foot Gardening

Mel Bartholomew’s All New Square Foot Gardening; Grow More in Less Space, is one of my all time favorite gardening books. Whether you are into growing herbs, flowers, vegetables, or a combination of all three, you should definitely check out this book. Visit Mel’s website to find out more about the square foot gardening method, or to order one of his publications.

I owned a copy of Mel’s first book, Square Foot Gardening, that was written in 1981. That book was totally falling apart, so I was happy to see he totaly revised and republished the book in 2005 as All New Square Foot Gardening. I bought the book after being a fan of Mel’s TV show for many years. Square Foot Gardening appeared on PBS from 1982 to 1986 and on the Discovery Network from 1989 to 1991.

ABOVE: A photo of the garden at my last house, which used the square foot gardening method. The garden was so densely planted, you couldn’t tell it utilized the square foot method.

Square foot gardening methods can be utilized by anyone, no mater what size their garden is. This method of gardening is all about maximizing your gardening space to get the most yield, with the smallest space and the least amount of effort. At my previous house in the neighborhood I currently live in, I tore up the entire front yard, had my husband install raised beds, and planted everything using the square foot gardening method. That house was certified as a Florida Yards & Neighborhood, thanks in part to my use of the square foot gardening methods.

The basic principals of square foot gardening are:

• efficient plant spacing
• never walk on soil
• soil improvement
• stop planting so much
• grow vertical
• optimal garden placement
• raised beds
• optimal garden size (smaller is better)

Take care,
Lynn Smythe AKA the Backyard Diva