Herbal Letters
Stories, remedies, recipes, and seasonal notes from my life in Greece.
Herbal Letters are where I put the things that don't belong anywhere else: what I'm gathering on the hillsides and making in my kitchen, stories from life in the Mani, remedies and recipes, the book on my desk, and whatever else has caught my attention that month.
A letter from me
I don’t spend much time on social media, and I don’t want to. I’d rather write you a letter.
Herbal Letters arrive the way a letter from a friend does, something to open with your morning coffee or a cup of mountain tea and read slowly. One month I’ll write about the sage flowering on the hillside behind the house, and the next about whatever is steeping in my kitchen or apothecary. One letter carries a recipe, another a few pages from the book I’m writing, and another a story from village life that I wanted to tell someone.
There will always be plants, and there will be cats, because Diego and Puccini make sure of it. Beyond that, I let the letter go where it wants to.
Brenda
What you'll find in Herbal Letters
Each letter is different, but these are the threads I keep coming back to.
Seasonal Herbalism
Whatever is growing, flowering, or ready to harvest, and what I'm doing with it: the plants, their traditional uses, and the preparations on my workbench.
Life in Greece
Stories from the Mani and village life, the garden, the food on our table, and the way the Mediterranean seasons shape each week.
Recipes & Remedies
Things you can make at home with ingredients you can grow or find nearby, written out so you can follow along in your own kitchen.
Books & Other Stories
Excerpts, new writing, a look behind the scenes of the books I'm working on, and news when I have something worth sharing.
From the Letterbox
Before you invite me into your inbox, pull up a chair and read a letter or two. These are two from this year, exactly as they went out to readers: one from a spring climb into the mountains after myrtle, and one from the long, hot middle of a Greek summer.
May 2026 · Late spring
A Pocket Full of Myrtle Leaves
Myrtle leaves, sore knees, and Chad's Taverna.
Read the Letter
July & August 2026 · High summer
Beating the Heat
Sun tea soda, a homemade gatorade, and one very melted cat.
Read the LetterCome sit at my table
Put the kettle on and pour yourself something delicious, and I'll send the next Herbal Letter your way. Letters go out once a month, and you can unsubscribe whenever you like.