Rosemary, Baby!

"Where Rosemary flourished, the woman ruled." Unknown

Rosemary, Baby! Rosmarinus, old Latin for “dew of the sea”, this cousin of mint does in fact love the salt spray of the coast, but who doesn’t? Fragrant and evergreen, it lends itself to meats, fish and game fowl or anything that has the character to break through the veneer of milder herbs. The fall holiday season sees potted rosemary as a wonderful gift and its tiny pale blue flowers can light up your garden in the morn’; speaking of gardens it will keep bugs away from your cabbage, beans and carrots as well as add the flavors of theses same veggies in your pot! The medicinal properties of this herb are legendary and powerful so be careful: it relaxes muscles as a tea, yet too much can cause cramps and intestinal turbulence; topical application of its oils shows positive effects on tumors and cancers, but ingesting it can be deadly. It is an antioxidant said to improve memory, the Bard’s Ophelia said, "There's rosemary, that's for remembrance", but this could be a reference to the disastrously unforgettable experiences of Don Quixote and Sancho Panza when they nearly died from drinking the Don’s recipe for the balm of Fierabras rather than applying it to their wounds.

"As for rosemary, I let it run all over my garden walls, not only because my bees love it but because it is the herb sacred to remembrance and to friendship, whence a sprig of it hath a dumb language."Sir Thomas More