by Linda O. Rago
This year-round guide is for all who love to cook and eat well. A Dooryard Herb Cookbook contains 133 favorite family recipes from the herb garden of Linda Rago, with specialties for each month of the year.
Rago is a traditional Appalachian herb woman who has cooked and gardened with herbs for over 50 years. As Linda takes us through the seasons, a cold January night yields Savory Lentil Soup; on warmer April mornings try Chive Biscuits or Hot Cross Buns on Good Friday.
May and June arrive: let’s try May Day Salad, Spring Lamb with Fresh Mint or Strawberry Shortcake with Sweet Woodruff. Linda calls July and August a “traffic jam of herbs”; enjoy Pesto, Applesauce Cake, or Lobster Salad. In September and October empty the herb garden, making Gazpacho, Carrot-Walnut Cake, or Dooryard Herbs Pot Roast. As holidays approach, try using herbs to make Sausage Cornbread Stuffing or Christmas Ham with Herb Vinegar.
In addition to all the delicious recipes and herbal folklore, the book also contains eight easy and delightful plans for starting your own herb garden, in the sun or shade; as well as the layout of Linda’s herb garden. If you already like cooking with herbs or would like to learn how, A Dooryard Herb Cookbook is a great resource.