6. Good Organic Gardening - November-December 2016 AvxHome.in

Rosemary | POWER PLANT
reduced the formation of cancer-causing
compounds. There’s a great reason to add it
to as many dishes as you can.
Of course, none of these findings
would surprise herbalists. Rosemary didn’t
randomly get its image as the herb of
remembrance — it earned it by being used
to improve memory for centuries. The
epithet officinalis in its name tells you it had
an established medicinal use in traditional
herbal medicine; indeed, the German
Commission E scientific advisory board
approves it for the treatment of dyspepsia.
It was also once thought to promote hair
growth, boost the immune system and help
with muscle pain. More recently, it has been
identified as one of the diabetes-fighting
culinary herbs along with marjoram and
oregano, plus it may be looked at for potential
to ward off macular degeneration due again
to the carnosic acid content.
Culinary use
If all that isn’t wonderful enough, the flavour
and aroma it can add to meats — particularly
lamb and pork — and fish make it an essential
herb. And that’s most likely the reason the
people of Acciaroli use so much of it.
Ideal for pot growing
A very common use is to put tiny sprigs
of it along with slivers of garlic into small
pockets in a lamb leg or shoulder. Mix finely
chopped rosemary with crushed garlic and
Dijon mustard and smear over the meaty side
of a rack of lamb before roasting. Add some
chopped herb in bread mixes if you bake your
own and use it to make herb butter. Sprinkle
over potatoes before roasting, or make potato
and rosemary pizza.
Growing
As a native of the Mediterranean, rosemary
is pretty hardy, though it doesn’t like to be
too wet. It doesn’t like to dry out, either. A
light spritzing a couple of times a week is
enough. It’s a perennial, so can be placed
anywhere in the garden. It can even make a
good hedge plant but be prepared to have
lots of bees around because they love the
flowers. The prostrate form also makes a
good groundcover.
Choose a dwarf or prostrate variety for
growing in a pot. If you live in a very cold
climate, pot growing is probably best so you can
move it to a sheltered sunny spot with reflected
warmth from a wall or fence in cold winters.
Grow from seed in spring, or cuttings or division
in spring or autumn. Feed in spring or spritz
with a diluted seaweed solution once a week.
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