Llewellyn's 2025 Herbal Almanac

Valuable Insights for All Your Verdant Ventures. Cherished by gardeners, cooks, crafters, and other plant enthusiasts for more than 25 years, this enduring treasure blooms again with new ideas for growing and utilizing nature s bounty. Nurture your herbal passion with this edition s bouquet of innovative concepts ranging from downy mildew-resistant basil to scented fire starters. Llewellyn s Herbal Almanac sprouts fresh insights on pond gardens, indigo dye, medicinal herbs, and more. Some of today s top writers provide easy-to-follow plans for a calming garden, Mediterranean herb garden, and salsa garden, as well as in-depth profiles on cloves, cottonwood, peonies, and wild strawberry. This guide also includes a twelve-month gardening log with calendars, moon phases, and tips. Whether you want to make herbal vinegars or a garden paradise, this almanac will inspire your practice throughout the year. DIY gardening solutions and companion planting guide. Growing tips for woodland herbs. Fruit and flower preservation techniques. African farming methods for healthy soil. Recipes and craft ideas.

Contents

Introduction to Llewellyn's Herbal Almanac . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1

Growing and Gathering
Growing Woodland Medicinal Herbs by Jordan Charbonneau . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5
Downy Mildew–Resistant Basil by Kathy Martin . . . . . . . . .17
Under-Cover Gardening: Extending Your Growing Season through Winter by Monica Crosson . . . . . . . . . . .29
The Wonders and Benefits of Volunteer Plants in Perennial and Annual Herb Gardening by Geoffrey Edwards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .39
Create an Herb Garden Paradise by James Kambos . . . . . . . .49
Making It Fertile with African Natural Farming by Mason Olonade . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .57

Cooking
Pizza for the Seasons by Sara Mellas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .71
Embrace a Meatless Monday by Laurel Woodward . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .83
Saffron in This World and Others by Linda Raedisch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .93
Spring's Rising: Herbal Vinegars by Mandana Boushee . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103
Preserving Fruits and Flowers by Marilyn I. Bellemore . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113
Cooling Herbs by Elizabeth Barrette . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121

Health and Beauty
Micronutrients in Plant-Based Foods by Mirelle Blacke, RD, CD-N . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135
Delicious Energizing Herbal Food and Drinks by Holly Bellebuono . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151
The Herbs You Really Need by Bonnie Rose Weaver . . . . . . 161
A Brief Intro to Afrobotany by Iya Angelique "Sobande" Greer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171

DIY and Crafts
Creating a Water Feature, One Pot at a Time by JD Walker . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179
How to Make a Herbarium Like Emily Dickinson by Diana Rajchel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187
Aromatic Fires by Natalie Zaman . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 195
Indigo Blues by Rebecca Gilbert . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 203

Plant Profiles
Updated! Plant Profiles: USDA Hardiness Zones . . . . . . . . 214
Clove by Anne Sala . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 217
Black Cottonwood by Rachael Witt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 229
Peonies by Charlie Rainbow Wolf . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 239
Strawberry by Lupa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 251

Gardening Resources
Companion Planting Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 262
Cooking with Herbs and Spices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 266
Gardening Techniques . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 270
2025 Themed Garden Plans . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 276
Planning Your 2025 Garden . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 280
2025 Gardening Log . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 282
Gardening by the Moon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 294

Contributors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 311