Essential Urban Garden Culinary Herbs - Rosemary

Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis) is one of the oldest recorded herbs in history. One of it’s poetic names is “Dew of the Sea’, because from a distance the light blue flowers looked like dew in the early morning light. Steeped in legend and surrounded by symbolism, rosemary has been considered a sacred plant by many cultures.

Rosemary is native to the lands surrounding the Mediterranean Sea, and like most of the plants of this region it thrives in full sunlight and slightly alkaline well-drained soil. I have found in my own experience gardening in North Florida that Rosemary can thrive in as little as four hours of good sunlight as long as it is in a well-drained location with good air circulation. This plant is a great candidate for containers or raised bed culture. Rosemary also likes lime, so if you mix a little ground limestone into your soil or place a small piece of limestone at the base of your plant you may find that it grows more vigorously. This is a wonderful landscape plant. Use as a focal point in the herb garden, as an evergreen anchor in the butterfly garden, as a hedge or to line a sunny pathway.

Rosemary is an evergreen shrub with short needle-like intensely aromatic leaves. It can grow up to five feet high and five or six feet in diameter under optimal conditions, but most of mine have grown to be two or three feet tall. There are upright and trailing or prostrate varieties and many named cultivars. Tiny hooded flowers appear throughout late winter and spring in my area. These may be blue, pink, or white depending on variety, and of course are very attractive to beneficial insects. Most rosemary is tolerant to some colder temperatures, but if we have the occasional really hard freeze here I may cover mine with a light blanket or old sheet. Rosemary is easily propagated by cuttings. This is a difficult plant to grow from seeds as germination is poor and growth is very slow.

Rosemary is the ultimate culinary herb. It pairs magnificently with chicken, fish, lamb, or pork. It is a flavorful ingredient in herbal vinegars, salad dressings, gourmet honey, soups and casseroles. Our favorite way to use rosemary is with roasted potatoes. Slice potatoes to one-quarter inch thickness. Next, coat with a generous amount of extra-virgin olive oil, sea salt, and coarsely ground black pepper. Sprinkle liberally with chopped fresh rosemary. Be sure to remove the woody stem first. Bake in a 400-degree oven for about 45 minutes, or until potatoes are tender, golden, and savory. Delicious!

Rosemary has many medicinal uses as well. It can be used to relieve headaches, to improve memory, aid digestion, and to promote relaxation. Brewed into a strong tea it makes a good rinse for dark hair.

This plant can also be used in potpourri, flower arrangements, and herbal wreaths. With so many uses, if I had room for only one herb plant, rosemary would be my choice.

What Do I Plant? Start with Garlic Chives!

One of the most easily grown and useful herbs in my southern kitchen garden is garlic chives (Allium tuberosum). Also known as Chinese chives, this onion family member tastes of both onion and garlic. It is similar to garden chives, but has flat instead of tubular leaves and is simple to cultivate. The leaves can be used interchangeably with chives and the flowers are edible.

These plants are tough, standing up to our hot and humid north Florida summers and they are also extremely hardy to cold. Cultivation is by seed or division. They can be grown in containers, flower borders, garden beds, or used to border pathways. We are experimenting with garlic chives grown as ground covers and as green roof plants. They like a good, composted soil but are not demanding once established. If plants start to look battered they can be cut back to within an inch of the crown.

New growth is amazingly rapid. An added bonus are the clusters of white, star-shaped flowers appearing in early fall. These attractive blossoms are irresistible to beneficial insects such as bees, butterflies and other pollinators.

Garlic chives can be added to salad dressings, soups, egg dishes, infused vinegars, herbal butters, dips, and spreads. They should be added at the end of the cooking time, as prolonged heat can destroy the flavor. They are antioxidant, antimicrobial, and a good source of vitamins A and C. Garlic chives contain calcium, potassium, iron, and folic acid.

They have been used in folk medicine for thousands of years. Some of the medicinal uses attributed to garlic chives are; as a tonic to reduce fatigue, lower blood pressure, lower cholesterol, stimulate the appetite and aid digestion. The seeds are used in Chinese medicine as a kidney and bladder tonic.

Garlic chives are an easily grown perennial herb no gardener should be without.

Where do I start? How much space do I need?

Start small. Almost everyone has room for a few herbs to add flavor and nutrition to their meals. Most herbs do well in containers using ordinary well-draining potting mix. Be sure that your container has a hole in the bottom so that excess water can drain out. Locate your herbs close to your house so that you can use them frequently. Some good herbs to grow in containers are rosemary, sage, thyme, basil, parsley, marjoram, garlic chives, chives, mints and oregano. Less common herbs that are also easy to grow are lemon grass, stevia, salad burnett, lemon verbena, and bay.

Ingredients for fresh salads can also be easily grown. Leaf lettuce, spinach, arugula, green onions, radishes, peppers, and garlic are well suited for container culture. Most food plants require at least four hours of sunlight daily. Locate your kitchen garden close to a water source so that you don't have to drag a garden hose a long distance to water your containers or small garden.

Most people are amazed at the wonderful flavor of their home grown herbs and vegetables. if you grow your own you can be sure that no pesticides or herbicides are ever used on your food. An added bonus and the aspect of growing herbs that I am most fond of is the wonderful smell many possess. There is nothing quite as uplifting as the scent of a sprig of rosemary, the intoxicating fragrance of sweet basil on a hot summer day, or the delightful smell of a crushed spearmint leaf. Once you start growing your own herbs and fresh salad greens, you will never want to be without something fresh and fragrant to cultivate and enjoy again.

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