October 2023 MBR The Agriculture Shelf

The Agriculture Shelf

The Organic Medicinal Herb Farmer, revised edition
Jeff & Melanie Carpenter
Chelsea Green Publishing Company
www.chelseagreen.com
9781645021124, $39.95, PB, 416pp

https://www.amazon.com/Organic-Medicinal-Herb-Farmer-Revised/dp/1645021122

Synopsis: In the first edition of "The Organic Medicinal Herb Farmer", authors Jeff and Melanie Carpenter (who co-run Zack Woods Herb Farm in Hyde Park, Vermont) presented a comprehensive seed-to-bottle guide for aspiring and experienced growers alike, from basic business considerations to planting and propagation to creating value-added products.

Now they are back with a revised and updated edition of "The Organic Medicinal Herb Farmer", sharing the lessons they've learned throughout their twenty-five years of operating a medicinal herb farm that prizes quality over quantity.

The Carpenters offer their insights and tips on every aspect of herb farming, including: Size and scale considerations; Data management for profit maximization; The herbal marketplace and choosing which herbs to grow; Field and bed preparation and planting, including building soil fertility; Plant-positive weed, pest, and disease control; Harvest and post-harvest processing, including scalable dryer construction; value-added products and marketing; A new chapter on growing cannabis -- and so much more!

The Carpenters make the case that growing organic medicinal herbs is not only viable and profitable, but also an important step for improving the ecological health of farmland, taking pressure off of wild medicinal plant populations, and increasing biodiversity. While local foodways are more often the focus of attention, local medicine ways are equally critical and in need of restoration.

This newly updated and expanded edition of "The Organic Medicinal Herb Farmer" is a one-of-a-kind resource, complete with detailed profiles of 50 medicinal herbs and over 200 color photographs. Whether you're looking to grow an herb farm from the ground up, incorporate medicinal plants on an existing farm, or add tools to your belt as a seasoned grower, you will find the information you need in this unique guide.

Critique: Very nicely and profusely illustrated in color throughout, "The Organic Medicinal Herb Farmer: Revised Edition" from Chelsea Green Publishers is a complete and comprehensive instructional guide to successfully operating a medicinal herb farming operation. While also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $29.99), "The Organic Medicinal Herb Farmer: Revised Edition" is especially and unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, community, and academic library Herb Gardening/Remedies collections and supplemental Sustainable Agriculture curriculum studies lists.

Editorial Note #1: Jeff Carpenter has farming in his blood. Descended from generations of Vermont farmers, Jeff deepened his love and understanding of plants through an apprenticeship with Rosemary Gladstar and as the former co-owner of Sage Mountain Herb Products and the International Herb Symposium. Since those early days, Jeff's work as a farmer, agricultural consultant, author, educator, and researcher has focused on the cultivation, conservation, and marketing of medicinal herbs. His passion for the green world is evident as he spends his days working in the fields and in the community.

Editorial Note #2: Melanie Carpenter grew up at Sage Mountain with her stepmother, herbal visionary Rosemary Gladstar. It was from Rosemary that Melanie first cultivated a love for medicinal plants. Over the last twenty years, Melanie has worked in the field of medicinal herbs as a farmer, community herbalist, educator, and mother. She believes that some of the most profound teachings and healings come from working on the land with the plants and works to help people explore and deepen their connection to the green world.

EDITOR'S NOTE:

The Midwest Book Review is an organization of volunteers committed to promoting literacy, library usage, and small press publishing. We accept no funds from authors or publishers. Full permission is given to post any of these reviews on thematically appropriate websites, newsgroups, listserves, internet discussion groups, organizational newsletters, or to interested individuals. Please give the Midwest Book Review a credit line when doing so.

The Midwest Book Review publishes the monthly book review magazines "California Bookwatch", "Internet Bookwatch", "Children's Bookwatch", "MBR Bookwatch", "Reviewer's Bookwatch", and "Small Press Bookwatch". All are available for free on the Midwest Book Review website at www (dot) midwestbookreview (dot) com

Anyone wanting to submit books for review consideration can send them to:

James A. Cox, Editor-in-Chief
Midwest Book Review
278 Orchard Drive
Oregon, WI 53575-1129

To submit reviews of any fiction or non-fiction books, email them to Frugalmuse (at) aol (dot) com (Be sure to include the book title, author, publisher, publisher address, publisher website/phone number, 13-digit ISBN number, and list price).

James A. Cox, Editor-in-Chief
Midwest Book Review