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 ROSEMARY
(Perennial)
Many people list Rosemary as one of the favorite herbs. This is
probably because of its clean fresh scent -just brushing past a Rosemary
plant can be invigorating. In our area Rosemary can be grown in
the garden in the summer and brought into the house in the fall.
Richters' catalog list 15 cultivars. It is interesting to try growing
a variety of cultivars as they vary in shades of green to grey with
pink or blue flowers. There are also trailing ones. I purchase several
Lockwood which are now indoors. We hope to see how they may work
in planter boxes this spring.
In the garden, plant in well drained soil in full sun. It needs
little care in our gardens and grows well. After harvesting in the
fall, pot the plant and bring indoors. I've been very surprised
at how much cold they will take (even snow!) before I rescue them.
Inside they do well in a cool light room watered from the bottom
and misted regularly. Do not let them dry out completely or over-water.
My plants are blooming a beautiful lavender blue in a very cold
sunroom. They are harvested regularly for the CRANBERRY ROSEMARY
VINEGAR and ORANGE ROSEMARY JELLY. The vinegar is popular in John's
Salad dressing recipe and the jelly makes a nice glaze or condiment
for chicken.
Try experimenting with these Rosemary Recipes:
Rosemary Oil
1/3 cup fresh rosemary leaves
1 cup olive oil
Rinse and dry rosemary.
Chop rosemary coarsely.
Combine oil and rosemary in a small saucepan. Bring to a
boil over medium-high heat, stirring frequently. Cool and
slowly strain mixture. Pour strained oil into a sterilized
glass jar and cover tightly. Store in the refrigerator and
use within 1 week.
Use on pizzas or brochettes.
Thin Rosemary Crisps
2 1/4 cups unbleached flour
1 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 cup fresh rosemary
1 tsp. Salt
1 cup water
1/4 cup olive oil
Olive Oil
Coarse sea salt or kosher salt
In a food processor bowl fitted with a metal blade combine flours, rosemary,
and the 1 teaspoon salt. Stir together water and the 1/4 cup olive oil. With the
machine running, add water mixture in a steady stream, processing until dough
forms a ball. Transfer to a lightly floured surface and knead gently 10 to 12
minutes.
Roll out half of the dough at a time as thinly as possible (about 1/8 inch
thick). Use a 3-inch cookie cutter to cut into trees or irregular shapes. Place
on un-greased cookie sheets. Brush dough with additional olive oil, then
sprinkle lightly with the coarse salt. Bake in 500 degree oven for 6 to 8
minutes, until brown and crisp. Cool completely on a wire rack. Store in an
airtight container for up to 2 days or freeze. Makes about 48 crisps.
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