Forest + Home

Cultivating an Herbal Kitchen

Connect with nature through your kitchen, no matter the size or location. Food that feeds and heals the body; a book that inspires and nourishes the soul.

Forest + Home connects you with nature through your kitchen, no matter the size or location. This is a book that inspires and ignites the palette while nourishing the soul; it shares food that both feeds and heals the body. Discover the world of plants through food with cook and certified herbalist, Spencre McGowan, author of Blotto Botany: A Lesson in Healing Cordials and Plant Magic. Organized by season, the recipes are designed to meet the natural move­ment of time and the world we inhabit. They include:

  • Nettle Pasta with special healing qualities
  • Rose Petal Lemonade with the benefits of a herbal punch
  • Roasted Asparagus with Chamomile and Ghee to soothe your nerves
  • No-Bake Peanut Butter–Reishi Cookies incorporates healing mushrooms
  • Dandelion Pesto helps get your digestive groove on
  • Lemon Balm Mojito for a refreshing way to chill out


Through personal stories and photography, explore the icy mountains of Montana and the wild seashores of Maine and Nantucket. With a focus on simplicity, no dish in this book requires one to be an experienced chef, possess a knowl­edge of medicinal herbalism, or own expensive kitchen tools.

In addition to a foreword by bestselling author Hilarie Burton Morgan, the book includes glossaries of kitchen and medicinal herbs; an exploration of adaptogenic herbs and edible flowers; and information on sourcing, growing, drying, and storing your own herbs. Forest + Home is a love letter to our environment, encour­aging us to reflect on the things we feel when we are connected to nature and the things we take home with us.

About the Author

Spencre L.R. McGowan is an herbalist and writer from many places, but primarily Maine and Nantucket. She is the creator of Gingertooth & Twine, a blog and shop dedicated to enhancing herbal wisdom through plant-based brews, meals, and publications. Spencre received her certification as an herbalist from the California School of Herbal Studies in 2013. She currently lives alongside the icy caps of Montana with some plants.

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