Wise Woman Radio

Maida Silverman

Susun Weed interviews Maida Silverman, author of
A City Herbal: the lore, legend and uses of 34 common weeds


MP3 File

30 minute on-demand radio interview
listen now or download MP3

Edible, medicinal and useful plants grow in the city as well as the country. Discover botanical, historical and magical lore for dozens of wild herbs.
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Maida Silverman, author of A City Herbal, was born in New York City and spent most of her life there. She attended Pratt Institute, was trained as an illustrator and graduated with a BFA. She has been a crafts woman who learned to spin yarn and dye it with dyes made from wild plants and weeds. She has used these in her embroideries. In addition to "A City Herbal,"  Maida Silverman has written many books for children. She has recently written about wild herbs for Susun Weed's Herbal E-zine.

Maida now makes her home in southeast Wisconsin, near Lake Michigan. She loves to do water colors and drawings of the beautiful countryside.She has been delighted to go foraging for wild herbs in nearby urban and country places of her new home. And she has been delighted to find several of her "old green friends" found in "A City Herbal" and many new "green friends" as well.

Gif-herb-mullen-cityherbal1 Herbal medicine in the sidewalk? Yes! Edible, medicinal and useful plants grow in the city as well as the country. With this book--A City Herbal by Maida Silverman--you can locate, identify and learn to use dandelion and clover as well as some more mysterious plants. You will find line drawings for identification; botanical, historical, and magical lore; information on how plants can be frozen, stored and preserved; and wonderful recipes.

ABOUT A CITY HERBAL
One Spring day in New York City, Maida Silverman took her little daughter to a nearby park. As the child was happily picking dandelions, a woman came over and told her mother not to let the little girl "pick endangered wildflowers."  Not sure the ubiquitous dandelion was endangered, Ms. Silverman did some research. She learned that far from being endangered, dandelions, often despised as a "useless weed" was in fact an ancient and honorable wild herb of great usefulness. This discovery led her to write "A City Herbal: the lore, legend and uses of 34 common weeds."
ORDER A CITY HERBAL HERE


Nettlesoup150 In this book, which has been in print for 32 years (since 1977), Maida Silverman has selected 34 common wild herbs.  She explains how and when to locate and identify them. She describes their botanical, historical and magical lore from modern and ancient herbal sources.  She provides recipes for breads, teas, salads and cosmetics. Ms. Silverman has illustrated each entry with a drawing prepared from the living plant. These drawings make it possible for the reader/user to easily identify each plant, and the parts that are useful in their proper season.

A City Herbal
Author: Maida Silverman. The wild plants of the city are potent herbal medicines and nutritious wild edibles, as well as sources of comfort, fiber, and dyes. Learn to recognize and use 34 of them. 192 pages, index, illustrations.

Pix-nettles150 "I never could have imagined the herbal abundance that grows between the cracks of the city sidewalks and in vacant lots! A City Herbal by Maida Silverman details the folknames, locations, historical uses, lore, legends, and uses of 34 plants commonly found in the city. I read A City Herbal like a novel, from cover to cover, and would recommend it to anyone interested our green friends!" Peggy Goddard

“A City Herbal is an absolutely delightful book that focuses on 34 common wild plants of the city, including their uses for food and medicine, and a great deal on their lore. The illustrations are excellent—which is rare in herbals—a perfect introduction to local plants for city friends.”-Organic Gardening



Read excerpts from A City Herbal:
.....Yarrow
.....Mullein
.....Blackberry




Read a Review
“A City Herbal by Maida Silverman is a delightful way to get acquainted with wild herbs that you have no doubt walked on or over without ever dreaming how useful they can be. It has increased my interest and curiosity a hundredfold and I’m sure it will do the same for you.” -James Beard

Cover-set-herb-Medicine150  
Herbal Medicine Starter Collection   
Includes three great herbals: A City Herbal by Maida Silverman, Healing Wise by Susun S. Weed, and Common Herbs for Natural Health by Juliette de Bairacli Levy.

If you are curious about herbal medicine and want to learn more, this collection for you!  These three books by noted herbalists will teach you how to grow, wild craft, buy, prepare, and use herbs for health, beauty, and fun.

Order this collection today to begin your herbal journey. Also a perfect gift for the one you love!!!


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