How Rosemary is good for my purse and my health

I have lots of big rosemary bushes in my garden, but have never bought any.  They are evergreen and last for years.  The blue flowers are so pretty.

Rosemary is easy to propagate and mine were originally a few sprigs that I picked for a large bush in a garden for the blind (all the plants smelt gorgeous). I have found that growing rosemary is good for my purse and my health.

To propergate some you just pick a soft bit from the end of the branch and take half of the bottom leaves off to leave a stalk. This is them put in a pot with soil or compost, watered, and left to grow roots. I usually put about 6 around the edge of a plant pot. Often I will leave the pot outside over winter. When they have roots I will transfer them individually to small pots and transplant again as they grow larger. I give them away as presents, or swap them for something else. They cost me very little to propergate.

This last few days I have been drying rosemary. It was all just cut when tidying the garden. The bush is evergreen and fresh rosemary can be used all year, but I like to have some dried to put in stews or with roast potatoes on a cold and wet winter’s day when I don’t want to venture outside. I barter my dried herbs for something, sometimes as supermarket dried herbs are full of nasties. The herbs are whizzed up in the coffee grinder.

Some ways I use my rosemary.

1. We infuse it in oil, butter or honey to use when cooking.

2. It is great to use in home made stuffing.

3. I add it to a white sauce when making a pie or a pasta dish.

4. We put sprigs of rosemary amongst my vegetables when roasting them. This is mixed vegetables, or just potatoes.

5. I use it when making bread like focacchia.

6. It regularly gets used as a garnish

7. I stuff it fresh inside a chicken or under the skin.

8. It is nice in stews or soups.

9. I add to my Christmas wreaths and flower arrangements to make them smell nice.

10. If it is infused in water to use as a rinse it will thicken hair. When rosemary oil is massaged into the head it will apparently  stimulate the hair to grow.

11. When infused in oil it makes a room smell gorgeous when used as a defuser.

12. I make dried rosemary bags and have one by my pillow as it is meant to enhance memory.

13. It can be used with vinegar in home made cleaners.

14. I sometimes put some sprigs into a hot bath in winter to improve my mood.

15. Natural table decorations using rosemary around platters in winter look professional and special.

16. Rosemary tea is refreshing on a cold day.

17. Some years I make rosemary salt for cooking.

18. It is nice in marinades.

Benefits of rosemary.

Rosemary is anti inflammatory. It improves digestion and reduces stress. Studies have shown that it can help protect against some kind of cancers, it is antimicrobial, and improves circulation. I have even read that it helps with arthritis and help with joint pain. Another study said it helped reduce maccular degeneration. I find it helps me to feel more alert and less tired as it improves blood flow in my brain.

As always I must give a health warning as nothing should be taken in large quantatities or it might cause side effects. If using other medications it may be best to check with a gp before using rosemary.

How do you use rosemary?