Today I am excited to announce that Foraging Through Folklore: Essays from the hedgerows, hearths and herb gardens of Britain and beyond is available in paperback and ebook!
“It’s so lovely to have deep research and excellent writing combined!”
~ Zoe Gilbert, award-winning author of Folk and Mischief Acts
Foraging Through Folklore began as a monthly research column for Herbology News (2020-2022), a magazine about the therapeutic uses of plants. Using each issue's featured herb, body system or theme as a starting point, I went rummaging through written and oral archives to explore the weird and wonderful ways we've made sense of the natural world and our place in it. Since Herbology News ceased circulation, several readers have been in touch to ask me to collate all the columns into a volume - and I have finally done so! Thank you for your encouragement!
With a gorgeous cover by Maddy Mould, the book answers questions like:
What’s witchy about Witch Hazel?
Why shouldn’t you bring a Snowdrop indoors?
What happens if you salt a fairy’s porridge?
If you think you might enjoy the answers, as well as tidbits about quicken trees, unspoken nettles, butter-and-milk stones and bosom serpents, please consider buying a copy. The book is currently only available from www.ellaleith.com/shop, but it should soon be on all major platforms as well.
It would also make a lovely Christmas present for the folklorist in your life... ;-)