Dropped by the Crow: A Delilah Tea Mystery
Dropped by the Crow: A Delilah Tea Mystery is the first book of a delightful new series. Quirky and cozy, this magical mystery novel is set in an historic Appalachian river town.
The main character Delilah Tea lives alone in her family's old and fraying mansion where she is the latest in a long line of strange women with uncanny abilities. She reads tea leaves for neighbors and tourists at the d'Cup Tea Shop, which she owns with her friend Diana. But all is not as it seems in this quaint village.
A brutal murder and a slow police investigation spur Delilah Tea and Diana on their own clandestine investigation to find the killer. Along the way they unearth dark secrets and a plot to destroy the town's bucolic setting. They use brains and magic in their heroic (and sometimes hilarious) quest to find the killer and bring about their unique brand of justice.
To purchase Dropped by the Crow, please order online directly at www.publishamerica.com
Dooryard Herbs
Herbs are a way of life for author Linda Ours Rago. In this excellent year-round guide, she shares her knowledge and love of herbs with an easy and comfortable style. For those who love to cook, garden and live well, there are favorite recipes and a welath of ideas for using and growing herbs each month of the year. The book expresses the author's special fascination with herbal lore and history. Dooryard Herbs is enhanced by original watercolor and pen and ink drawings of Harpers Ferry artist Evalina Stowell.
To purchase a copy of Dooryard Herbs, send a check or money order for $12.95 (plus $2.50 for shipping) to: Camp Hill Press, P.O. Box 577, Harpers Ferry, WV 25425
A Dooryard Herb Cookbook
This year-round guide is for all who love to cook and eat well. It contains 133 favorite family recipes from the herb garden of Linda Rago, with specialities for each month of the year. As Linda takes you through the seasons, a cold January night yields Savory Lentil Soup; on warmer April mornings try Chive Biscuits or Hot Cross Busn on Good Friday. May and June arrive with May Day Salad, Spring Lamb with Fresh Mint and Strawberry Shortcake with Sweet Woodruff. Lind calls July and August a "traffic jam of herbs;" enjoy Pest, Applesauce Cake or Lobster Salad. In September and October empty the herb garden, making Gazpacho, Carrot-Blackwalnut Cake or Dooryard Herb Pot Roast. 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 sun or shade; as well as the layout of Linda's own garden.
Blackberry Cove HerbalThis is a lyrical monthly almanac of Appalachian medicinal plants and the traditional lore associated with them. Linda Rago, a self-taught ethnobotanist and the author of The Herbal Almanac, has gathered the folk cures, superstitions, and traditions that surround each featured plant, along with some traditional recipes. Linda has tended, cooked, and cured with herbs for over 30 years, collecting their stories, charms, and tales along the way. In this book, she passes along those charms. She explores herbal folklore, a history with an oral tradition that has been passed down from grandmothers, scholars, friends, and "Wise Women."
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What a beautiful book! Rago's writing is more poetry than prose, and really captures the beauty of what must be a wonderous place. Never before have I wanted to travel to West Virginia so much! The legends she weaves are fascinating, and the recipes are fun and easy to make. Try the West Virginia Blackberry Cobbler-delicious!
To purchase a copy of Blackberry Cove Herbal, send a check or money order for $14.95 (plus $2.50 for shipping) to: Camp Hill Press, P.O. Box 577, Harpers Ferry, WV 25425
Mugworts in MayIn Mugworts , Linda Rago traces the "roots" of herbal history - from the pyramids, through the dark forest of western Europe, and into the New World. She speaks of the learned monks and Wise Women who dispensed the herbs, along with the lore surrounding them. You will read about Shakespeare's favorite herbs, and the deadly herbs from the "dark side of the hedgerow." This book is a must for the historian, folklorist, and herbalist alike. In addition to a glowing herbal history and wonderful charms, the book concludes with an alphabetical "Compendium of Herbs." In the compendium you'll find the uses and stories of over 150 herbs.
The Herbal AlmanacIn The Herbal Almanac, Linda Ours Rago gives us 366 days (includes Leap Year) of ancient herbal folklore, historic information and some lovely prose. This small book of calendar days is beautifully illustrated by Marjorie Stodgell and can be used year after year. Herbs are plants that can be used in medicines, seasonings, flavorings, and decorations. In this book, the Linda tells us which herbs are associated with the various days of the month. She also gives us the fascinating history and legend that is linked to each of the plants.