As True as the Barnacle Tree

by Anita M. Smith

Anita M. Smith (AMS), a Quaker and a high-society refugee from Philadelphia, arrived in Woodstock in 1912 to study art. When a family crisis forced her to give up painting, she took up gardening, and in 1933 she founded Stonecrop Garden. By 1939 she was selling herbs in all forty-eight contiguous states and had independently published As True as the Barnacle Tree. The book was based on the work of early herbalists such as John Gerard, Nicholas Culpeper, and John Evelyn-with chapters on Native American, Quaker, Shaker, and early settler lore. Also included were a suggested plan for a herb garden, favorite culinary herbs, and recipes. The enduring popularity of this book resulted in a reprinting by The Practical Press in 1988 and the adoption of the cover woodblock of AMS (artwork by Maud and Miska Petersham) as the icon used by The Herb Quarterly. This new edition of As True as the Barnacle Tree features an introduction by Weston Blelock and Julia Blelock (who knew AMS in the 1960s), a list of selected sources, and an index. Smith is perhaps best known for her landscape painting and for writing the first history of the town, Woodstack History and Hearsay, which was published in 1959.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0997716428
• ISBN13: 9780997716429
• Release Date: July 2024
• Publisher: Woodstock Arts
• Length: 66 Pages
• Weight: 0.39 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.3" x 5.3" x 7.6"