Mary Preus

Mary Preus is a homegrown Northwesterner, veteran gardener, and ardent herb lover whose adventures in the world of herbs began in childhood with the taste of Aunt Henny's fresh mint tea. Based on her experience of "living and breathing herbs" for nearly 20 years as owner of Silver Bay Herb Farm on Puget Sound, her books, which include The Northwest Herb Lover's Handbook, Growing Herbs, A Little Book of Herbs for Cooking, and The Leek Cookbook, have sold more than 20,000 copies.

She has traveled widely, and her articles and photographs have been published in The Mother Earth News, Harrowsmith Magazine, and various newspapers. A featured speaker at garden shows, international herb conferences, and other plant centered events, Mary also shares her love and knowledge of herbs at garden centers, Master Gardener meetings, libraries and garden clubs.

After a dozen years as a Senior Gardener in Seattle parks, she happily tends urban herbs at home in Seattle with her hubby darling, Bob Crew.