Rosemary Herb: Facts and Lore About the Rosemary Plant

Rosemary gets its name not from roses or a from woman named Mary, but from the Latin rosmarinus, which translates to "dew of the sea." Although the rosemary herb is a member of the mint family, it's an evergreen plant that looks and smells very much like pine.

The rosemary plant is a shrubby thing that can grow to be as tall as five feet, if you let it. The stems are covered with slender, inch-long, pine-like leaves. Rosemary flowers aren't very showy, and are usually white, lavender, or blue.

Humans have long believed that rosemary can improve memory, which is why it was so often used in weddings and funerals. A bride might wear a wreath made from the rosemary plant to help the couple remember their wedding vows. Mourners would also throw sprigs of rosemary into graves, a symbol that the dead would not be forgotten.

The Chinese believed that rosemary could cure certain ailments. They used rosemary to ward off headaches and even cure baldness. The Greeks also believed that rosemary could aid the liver and improve digestion.

Whether or not you believe in the power of rosemary, it sure tastes good in certain recipes.

Rosemary is a great herb to grow in pots. If you have a potted rosemary, you can bring it indoors when there's a frost. Rosemary is a heat-loving plant and doesn't deal with cold very well.

A few things a rosemary plant needs is good drainage and air circulation. If your rosemary is looked a little sad and peaked, it's probably time to re-pot it. Re-pot your rosemary once a year to keep it healthy.

If you re-pot your rosemary once a year, water it every other day, and bring it indoors when the weather turns cold, it should stay healthy and happy.

The beauty of growing your own potted rosemary is that you can have a continuously fresh supply of the herb; you only snip some sprigs or leaves as you need them. However, there may be times when you need to store some sprigs of rosemary for a while. There are different approaches:

• Store rosemary in a plastic bag in the fridge. This will help it stay fresh longer.


• Freeze rosemary. If you definitely won't be using rosemary for some time, freezing it is the best way to retain most of the flavor.


• Dry the rosemary. Hang the rosemary sprigs upside-down in a warm, dry, dark place. Once dry, store the rosemary sprigs in an airtight container.

Rosemary tastes best when combined with chicken, pork, and lamb, though many people report that it's an excellent seasoning for fish. It also does a lot for potatoes. I've used rosemary for making roast chicken and for making herbal bread.

Quick tips:

• Chopping and mincing the rosemary brings out the most flavor. Remove the leaves first and discard the stem.


• You can add sprigs of fresh rosemary to many recipes as you're cooking them, then remove the sprigs before serving. The food will still absorb that rosemary zest.


• A little can go a long way. Feel free to experiment, but remember that too much rosemary could overpower other tastes and smells.

Parsley save Rosemary in time? by Annaart
See more Parsley T-Shirts