Rochelle Shenk wrote about the new book in the Sunday News

Here 'tis:

Herbalist's Magazine Grows Into Another Book

Sunday News
Published: Jun 14, 200823:45 EST
Lancaster
By ROCHELLE A. SHENK, Correspondent

When Tina Sams was a child, her grandfather, who knew all the herbs and their uses, would point out the plants to her.

"Through that I developed an interest in herbs myself. That passing of herbal knowledge to other generations is important," she said.

To do that herself, the Manheim-area resident and editor of The Essential Herbal Magazine has edited and published a new book, "The Essential Herbal: Under the Sun: The First Five Years.

"It's a compilation of the best articles from the magazine's spring and summer issues from 2002 to 2006. The magazine, which began as a newsletter in 2002 and morphed into a magazine in 2004, is now published bimonthly.

"There's so much you can do with herbs and a number of ways to use a specific herb," Sams said.She noted that the interest in both growing and using herbs for both culinary and medicinal purposes has grown over the past year or so. "It goes in cycles; herbs were popular in the '60s, and now they're popular again," she said.

Sams and her sister, Maryanne Schwartz, began operating a seasonal herb shop at the Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire in the early 1990s. Soon they had a retail herb store in Landisville, which they sold several years later. Today they share a stand at the Mount Joy Farmers Market. Schwartz, owner of Lancaster County Soapworks, also collaborates with Sams on her magazine and books, doing layout.

Three years ago Sams published "Wild Foods for Every Table," a spiral-bound cookbook and field guide, partly based on the magazine content.

"The writers who contribute to the magazine are like me: They want to share what they know with others," she said.

Sams' new 224-page paperback, published in May by The Sibling Group, Manheim, has more than 100 food recipes and ideas for the kitchen, better health, herbal first aid, gardens, crafts and herb-based businesses.

The book is available for purchase 8 a.m.-noon every Saturday until Oct. 11 at the sisters' stand at the Mount Joy Farmers Market, located in the parking lot at Union National Community Bank, 101 E. Main St. It is also available at the magazine's Web site: http://www.essentialherbal.com/.