When I moved into my current House last Summer I quickly discovered that Rosemary Bushes had taken over the bottom of my Garden. Despite looking quite nice and smelling lovely I cut them back considerably since they were in danger of completely taking over the Garden and suffocating my other Plants.
It was several weeks later whilst preparing my Sunday Lunch that I decided to take a walk down to the bottom of my Garden and pick a few of the leaves to add seasoning to the Pork Chops that I was preparing. The results were superb and since that day on I have never looked back, taking regular Sunday afternoon strolls down my Garden and returning with a handful of long thin silvery-green coloured leaves of Rosemary.
Rosemary is incredibly aromatic. Just picking a few of its leaves will leave your fingers smelling scented for hours and this is why it has been used in Culinary dishes for hundreds of years.
Rosemary is native to the Southern Mediterranean Regions of Europe but will have little trouble growing in a British Garden providing that it is in a well lit sunny spot. It also prefers a well-drained Soil and therefore performs best in well-watered Sandy Soils.
All Rosemary belongs to a single Plant Species with the Latin name Rosmarinus officinalis, but there are several variations of this Plant available that have been cultivated for their different needs. Rosemary grows easy without any tender loving care and therefore it is usually necessary to prune it each year, at the end of the growing Season.
Rosemary flowers in the late Spring or early Summer and produces a cluster of small delicate pale blue flowers. It is also very easy to propagate. This can be done by removing the young shoots that appear in early Spring and placing these in Compost. These shoots will take root easily but should be kept indoors or inside a Greenhouse until the following Spring when they can be transplanted out into the Garden.
Rosemary, like most Herbs has many medicinal uses and it is also the subject of many myths and folklores. Rosemary Tea is said to be a cure for stress and Headache, whilst the Oil is said that to prevent premature baldness. It is claimed that rubbing this Oil onto a balding head helps to stimulate hair growth. Due to its pungent aromatic properties it is also widely used in Perfumes and Fragrances.
Rosemary probably arrived in Britain via the Romans and we know that the Saxons later used it in many of their Religious Ceremonies. It is said to be a virtue of fidelity and for this reason it is commonly worn by Brides at Weddings. It is also burnt as incense at Funerals.
Personally I just use my Rosemary in the Kitchen and in particularly to flavour Pork and Lamb. Sprinkling just a few sprigs of the leaves on top of a joint of Meat before it is placed in the oven not only fills your Kitchen with a smell that is more powerful than any Air Fresher could ever produce, it also provides a lovely fresh, slightly sweet flavour that compliments the Meat perfectly.
Thank you for reading.
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Advantages: A wonderfully versitile herb which has many uses. Disadvantages: Can take a little while to get established, likes good drainage and a sunny position.
phoenixgreen 07.11.2006 (07.11.2006)
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Jan 21st, 2007
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