The Practical Herbalist Book Reviews by Candace Hunter and Sue Sierralupe:

Slug Bread and Beheaded Thistles by Ellen Sandbeck

Broadway Books, 2000, $10.95, ISBN 0-7679-0542-3

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Catalog Description

Slug Bread and Beheaded Thistles is a book of reccommendations for organic housekeeping and gardening. The author separates the contents into 3 different catagories: Gardening, Housekeeping and Gory and Disgusting. The Gardening section includes tips on how to compost trash, prevent wire worm damage, and which inscects are beneficial to growing potatoes.  The Housekeeping section includes tips on laundry stain removal using kitchen supplies, ant repellant, and barbeque grill maintenance. The Gory and Disgusting section includes tips that are fairly morbid. This includes deterring moles with fish heads, squishing slugs and the effect dioxin buildup has on children.

Our Opinion

Best audience for Slug Bread and Beheaded Thistles: homemakers, gardeners and homesteaders interested in creative, nontoxic options.

Sue said: This short paperback is full of easy techniques that are perfect for the practical person. The author has done her homework about the hazards of pesticides, fungicides, herbicides and chemical cleansers. She knows what is at stake and this knowledge has clearly inspired her to get out the word about nontoxic options. Ellen Sandbeck has a wonderful sense of humor and a natural writing grace that I found engaging enough to read through this book like a novel. I tried several of her suggestions and found that they really did work. The illustration choices could double as pictures for a Trader Joe's Flyer - very funny.

Candace said: As a general read, I enjoyed Slug Bread & Beheaded Thistles. Sandbeck's style is delightful and I could easily imagine using many of her suggestions. A great choice for concerned parents. I reccomend this book to my homesteading friends.