rosemary beyond the kitchen
Thousands of years before refrigeration, ancient peoples noticed that
wrapping meats in crushed rosemary leaves preserved them and imparted a
fresh fragrance and pleasing flavor. To this day, the herb remains a
favorite in meat dishes.
You’ve probably used rosemary plenty of times in your daily life. It’s a
great herb for creating delicious recipes. The fragrance of rosemary is a
delight when you smell it being heated in your favorite chicken or bread
recipe. It’s a true favorite of Italian cooking as well. And in the
Mediterranean, it’s considered a plant that brings good luck. A high quality
dried herb is the perfect thing to keep in your cupboard so that you’ll have
the right thing for every recipe. Rosemary is not only delicious; it lends
an enticing aroma to your dishes.
Rosemary's ability to preserve meats led to the belief that it helped
preserve memory. Greek students wore rosemary garlands to assist their
recall. As the centuries passed, the herb was incorporated into wedding
ceremonies as a symbol of spousal fidelity and into funerals to help
survivors to remember the dead. In Hamlet, Ophelia gives Hamlet a sprig,
saying, "There's rosemary...remembrance."
rosemary as a symbol of love
During the Middle Ages, rosemary's association with weddings evolved into
its use as a love charm. If a young person tapped another with a rosemary
twig containing an open blossom, the couple would supposedly fall in love.
Placed under one's pillow, the aromatic herb was believed to repel bad
dreams. Planted around one's home, it was reputed to ward off witches.
But by the 16th century, planting rosemary around the home became a bone of
contention in England, where the belief developed that it signified a household
where the woman ruled. Men were known to rip out rosemary plants as evidence
that they—not their wives—ruled the roost.
rosemary as a garden accent
Rosemary is a woody, pine-scented, evergreen perennial with needle like leaves.
It reaches 3 feet in the United States and produced small, pale blue flowers in
summer. Creeping rosemary (R. prostratus) is widely used in the Western United
States as a ground cover and cascade over garden walls.
Rosemary can be grown from seeds, but germination can be a problem and
seedlings are slow to develop, which is why most herb growers prefer to
start with cuttings. If you sow seeds plant them in spring 6 inches apart.
Plant cuttings in sandy soil, leaving only one-third of each twig showing.
Rosemary prefers light, sandy, well drained soil and full sun. Over watering may
cause root rot. Rosemary usually survives zero degree winter temperatures
without special care. If you live where temperatures dip lower, mulch plants
each autumn or grow the herb in pots, bring them indoors each winter and keep in
a south facing window. Cut twigs and strip the leaves any time after plants have
become established.
Formulas & recipes
Rosemary uses
Rosemary is an incredible household herb, with its ability to flavor almost any food– salty or sweet. What is unique about the rosemary herb is that, unlike other dried herbs, dried rosemary keeps the strength of its beautiful earthy, pine-like aroma. There are endless rosemary recipes because of the herb’s ability to stay fresh and versatile. Rosemary powder keeps its aroma as well but is mostly used as a supplement or an additive in a potpourri mix.
Rosemary salt recipe
Ingredients:
-½ cup whole dried rosemary
-½ cup coarse salt
-1 ½ cups kosher salt
Combine the dried rosemary and coarse salt in a food blender and pulse until the mixture looks consistent and the rosemary leaves have broken down. Then add the rosemary mixture to the remaining kosher salt and mix until uniform. Sprinkle this salt mixture over any meal and enjoy!
