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| Small rosemary |
I had a friend ask us about the rosemary that we we planted in a large pot on the front porch and they wondered how it was doing. I thought I'd update everyone. It's now been in this container for over a year and a half. Above is what it looked like when we planted it (the portulaca is long gone, ha), and below is what it looked like last weekend.
It's apparently very happy in its home on the porch, and we're very happy to have it for cooking. It's such a versatile herb. And best of all, it's a perennial, so we should have it year after year. Of course, I think I might need to trim it up a bit. Anyone have any suggestions for how to trim and/or how to save some? Can it be dried or ground up? Any other way of saving it? I mean, we'll have a lot, so I guess it doesn't matter, but I just hate to waste it.
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| Large rosemary |
Off to the farm today. Almost 2 weeks now without significant rain, so it should finally be dry and allow me some time on the zen machine. More updates later this weekend. Enjoy yours!
Beautiful. It really does like where it is. You could do some trimming and then do as I've posted below.
ReplyDeleteStore rosemary for longer periods by hanging bundles of stems to dry in a dark, warm, dry place. Keep dried rosemary leaves in airtight containers.
Thanks for sharing. Have a great weekend.
Yes, I don't think I'll ever move it, ha. I like the hanging bundles, we are usually humid but it's been low lately so maybe that will work. Thank you!!
DeleteI have found with my Rosemary that there is no need to preserve it as I can access it all year round. They are hardy and prolific. I tend to through my clippings onto pathways so that we enjoy the smell when we walk on it. I actually do the same thing with Mint.
ReplyDeleteYou know, that is a good point, thanks for the reminder. It is available almost year round here too. Now I love the idea of the pathways. How cool is that? Thank you!
DeleteThink small pretty jars for Christmas presents, a little ribbon...
ReplyDeleteI am currently drying sage, oregano, and thyme but I don't have enough for presents. I also found that you could cut chives, give them a rinse and put them in a ziplock in the freezer. I've already been pulling them out for potatoes and chives snipped with the kitchen shears (last night) - yummy!
Roasted potatoes and onions with rosemary is also great! Now I'm hungry.....
Wow, another great idea. And we're giving out some jars of things for Christmas, I think it would be a neat idea to use them.
DeleteOh, and yes, one of my favorite dishes, roasted red potatoes with rosemary and olive oil and salt and pepper....mmm, now I'm hungry too, ha.
DeleteI can be dried easily in an oven or a dehydrator. Save the stronger stems to soak in water & use as skewers for kabobs of beef, chicken or shrimp. Love the idea of tossing onto the pathways. Thanks FionaG.
ReplyDeleteSkewers, great idea too! Hmmm, so can you save the stems and let the dry and then use them like next year for example? Isn't the pathway idea great?
DeleteYour rosemary looks really healthy & is thriving. I clip my rosemary plant back whenever it seems to be getting leggy. Like a lot of plants, trimming it back a few times a year stimulates more growth at the base of the plant which results in a fuller and stronger plant, I really never thought of preserving it because I can get it fresh anytime I want. I would image you could dry it either by hanging as Joani recommended or by separating the needles from the stalk and placing in a very low oven (200 degrees) for several hours or using a food dehydrator, The oil in rosemary is what produces the flavor, so dried might br fine for filling a sachet pillow, but might not be great for cooking, I like a small amount of fresh rosemary chopped up and mixed with other herbs when I roast a whole chicken. My favorite way to use rosemary is as part of a marinade I make for leg of lamb or lamb chops that I cooked on my grill. I mix about a 1/2 cup olive oil with the juice of 1/2 lemon, 1/2 cup red wine vinegar, 1 teaspoon bruised rosemary (Place rosemary in a small plastic bag and hit it a few times with a heavy can of food or with a meat tenderizer, You just want the needles to release some of their oil), 2 cloves fresh garlic cloves minced and 1 teaspoon salt & 1/2 teaspoon pepper to taste, Pour marinade into gallon size zip-loc bag, add meat and coat meat well. Refrigerate overnight or at least 6 hours. Remove meat from bag and sit at room temp for 20 minutes before cooking, This same recipe is great for chicken too. I just add a teaspoon of regular paprika to the marinade for poultry, It is also nice in homemade bread like an Italian flat-bread or Focaccia (my spelling is likely off ) where you can sprinkle course salt & rosemary on the top as it bakes, or other savory baked goods like cracker rounds, Sometimes I tie a bouquet of rosemary, parsley and other herbs together and add them to homemade soups & stews, Rosemary is like dill when it comes to cooking, a little goes a long way, so use sparingly or you could overpower the dish.
ReplyDeleteGo online and enter Uses for Rosemary in the search engine, You will see a title called 39 uses for Rosemary. It has great suggestions like making flavored oils, using as skewers for the grill, infusing into lemonade and lots more good suggestion,
Thanks for sharing and getting me to think about more ways to use it.
You are a rock star, thank you for taking the time to write such a detailed comment. I love ALL the suggestions. It is strong isn't it? Definitely easy to overuse.
DeleteI just googled the 39 uses suggestion it was wonderful too. I might update my post to reflect that link (and thank you for suggesting it).
Awesome! Thanks again!
I have tried drying herbs in the fridge or the freezer as this article recomends and they came our quite well. Here is the link to the article. Your rosemary looks good.
ReplyDeletehttp://extension.psu.edu/plants/gardening/news/2011/a-real-cool-way-to-dry-herbs
THAT is ingenious! Love that idea....I am so going to try that (and blog about it!) Thanks!!!
DeleteWow, it loves it's spot. I must be the only man in the World who is good at gardening, but cannot keep a rosemary alive. Every single one I have ever owned has died on me, haha
ReplyDeleteHa, don't be hard on yourself. I think rosemary can be tempermental in some areas. Or hey, look at it this way, if that's one of the only things you can't grow, you are still doing well. :-)
DeleteRosemary must love Texas. My daughter lived in Austin for a while and there was a glorious bush of rosemary in her front yard, "in the broiling sun" as we say here in the South. I was inspired by it and planted rosemary in my Georgia garden. It did well for a couple of years and then died. I've wondered what I did wrong.
ReplyDeleteWell, to be honest I had one growing in a pot in the back yard in town. It was in the heat as well, but it died. I really think it was overwatered. Probably not by me but we just had so much rain that year. And I don't think it liked 'wet feet', ha. This one is on the porch so it doesn't get much rain, and is only watered once a week at most. Perhaps that's why it's working so well? Not sure. Plants are fickle aren't they, ha.
DeleteThanks for posting about your rosemary questions. I have never grown it, and I am learning so much from all these great comments!
ReplyDeleteI'm another rosemary killer. One day when I have my own garden maybe I'll have more success but in pots, I've never been able to keep it going. Never had much success with lavender either. Those two are for ever connected in my mind as my sister put a small plant of each in her front garden when they built their new house and they both just exploded into huge lush bushes. All she ever did was, eh, nothing. So I think the right spot and soil and drainage are the important points. As far as I know the best way to get new plants is to bend a fairly well established stem over into the soil and bury it. The buried part will eventually root and you can then snip that branch away from the main plant and move it to a new home.
ReplyDeleteYour Rosemary looks fantastic 1st man. I posted about this last year, but I freeze or refrigerate in paper bags and use as needed. They last much longer. Have fun! G/T
ReplyDeleteMy rosemary is growing like gangbusters too. I have a booth at a craft fair on Friday and I'm going to sell little bundles of it. Here is what I did last year with a little of it:
ReplyDeletehttp://thecookslife.wordpress.com/2012/12/17/rosemary-garlic-salt/
I still have a jar and it still smells as wonderful as it did last year.
Sarah