Ingredient: Rosemary
Category: Herbs, Spices & Seasoning
Season: All
Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis) is a woody, perennial herb with fragrant evergreen needle-like leaves.
It is native to the Mediterranean region . It is a member of the mint family Lamiaceae, which also includes many other herbs.
The fresh and dried leaves are used frequently in traditional Mediterranean cuisine as an herb; they have a bitter, astringent taste, which compliments a wide variety of foods.
A tisane (herbal tea) can also be made from them.
They are extensively used in cooking , when burned give off a distinct mustard smell, as well as a smell similar to that of burning which can be used to flavour foods while barbecueing
Rosemary is extremely high in iron, calcium, and Vitamin B6.
It has a strong affinity with both pork and lamb and can be chopped and sprinkled over joints and chops before baking
Numerous cultivars have been selected for garden use , It is considered easy to grow for beginner gardeners, and is pest-resistant.
The following are varietues frequently sold:
Albus — white flowers
Arp — leaves light green, lemon-scented
Aureus — leaves speckled yellow
Benenden Blue — leaves narrow, dark green
Blue Boy — dwarf, small leaves
Golden Rain — leaves green, with yellow streaks
Irene — lax, trailing
Lockwood de Forest — procumbent selection from Tuscan Blue
Ken Taylor — shrubby
Majorica Pink — pink flowers
Miss Jessop's Upright — tall, erect
Pinkie — pink flowers
Prostratus
Pyramidalis (a.k.a Erectus) — pale blue flowers
Roseus — pink flowers
Salem — pale blue flowers, cold hardy similar to Arp
Severn Sea — spreading, low-growing, with arching branches; flowers deep violet
Tuscan Blue — upright |