Unknown or Well-Known Rosemary

Known or Unknown Rosemary

Rosemary is an evergreen shrub growing up to around 1.5 m in height. This shrub has dense, broom-like branches with sessile leaves, leathery, linear opposite, dark green on top. When crushed, they release an aromatic scent reminiscent of camphor. Rosemary has brown, inconspicuously colored fruits. The flowers are pale purple, bilabiate in appearance and bloom from March to July. Its taste is bitterly sharp and very aromatic.

A suitable location for rosemary is sunny, even with slightly dry, calcareous soils. The warmer the environment, the better its aroma. Rosemary can tolerate frost, but when the temperature is around zero, it's better to bring it indoors and place it in a warm spot. This herb is perennial, so if we sow it, it grows very slowly, so we must be patient and wait even three years for a larger harvest. Keep the plant in moderately moist soil. Since rosemary is resistant to pests, you don't need to fertilize it at all.

We place the herb on a balcony or terrace in a bucket. If planting in the ground, rosemary should be in a sunken pot in the soil so that we can then move it indoors for winter. A suitable substrate is a ratio of ½ sowing substrate or ½ garden soil, ¼ compost and the rest sand or fine gravel with a little lime. It doesn't like compacted soil. We harvest fresh shoots continuously, however, they must not be picked too much, otherwise the plant will reluctantly regrow. Trim the shoot tips so that the plant acquires a nice shape. In winter, harvesting is less frequent, but already at the end of February the plant produces new shoots.

We grow rosemary mainly for its leaves, which are harvested at their greatest maturity and strength from June to August, the harvested leaves are then dried in the shade and subsequently placed in sealable jars. Rosemary came to us in Europe across the Alps into monastery gardens, where it was already cultivated at that time as both an ornamental and medicinal plant. As a medicinal plant, it was then collected and used to strengthen memory and against the plague. However, it must be noted that during pregnancy, no preparations with rosemary should be used, nor should it be consumed in food. It contains active substances such as essential oils, tannins or bitter compounds. It is also not suitable as an evening bath, as it disturbs sleep.

This herb has the advantage that you don't need to preserve or store it, because you can harvest it even in winter. If you have it indoors during winter and have the opportunity to put it outside when it's not freezing and the sun is shining, definitely do so, as the rosemary will reward you with greater flavor and aroma. Some people mind rosemary in food due to its needle-like leaves, but if we grind it in a spice grinder, its flavor will stand out and we'll have an excellent dish. We can also cook it as a whole sprig with the dish and remove it before serving. Rosemary can also be used to make rosemary tea, wine, or it can be added to a bath, used as an oil, or made into an herbal hair rinse. Our tip: Rosemary wine – let 20g of dried rosemary leaves infuse in one liter of red wine for 5 days, occasionally shaking the liquid. Do not stir. Drink one liqueur glass daily. It works against loss of appetite and bloating, and also helps with mild stomach and intestinal cramps. Rosemary tea stimulates the production of gastric juices and bile, which helps with loss of appetite. When rosemary is in a dish, these dishes are easier to digest.

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