ROSEMARY (Rosmarinus officinalis)

Rosemary grows wild as a small tree on the shores of the Mediterranean. Often, when the wind is right, its spicy, piney scent can be smelled far out at sea. Rosemary is an upright shrubby perennial. It can grow to three feet or more and looks very much like a miniature fir tree; its leaves are smooth dark green needles. In Shakespeare's time, rosemary was used for topiary and clipped to a sphere or cone shape. At the March meeting, we were shown six varieties used for topiaries and bonsai-type plants.

     Salem has an upright growth habit, medium leaves, and it branches well when pinched. It has more of a menthol scent than the others do.

     Robustifolius is the most compact of the six, but it also has an upright growth habit with wider leaves than the others do. It has a pleasant strong scent without being overpowering and it smells like it would be good for roasting in the oven with meat and potatoes.
Foresteri is the tallest of the group and the most straight and upright. It has long nar-row leaves and doesn't branch much when the center is pinched.

     Seven Seas has the largest leaves of the drooping varieties and its branches reach out and up a little more than the other droopy ones. It appears to be in motion. Its scent is not as strong as some of the others and it has a slight green grass smell.

     Santa Barbara branches very well when pinched. The shorter branches are more upright and the longest branches droop to the ground. It has the smallest leaves of the group and a piney scent.

     Golden Rain has the droopiest branches-it almost looks like weeping. It has moderate sized leaves and is not strongly scented.
For cooking with rosemary, my favorite recipe is lemon rosemary chicken. Enjoy your herbs and cooking!

Thanks to Lesley Deem, who told us about using rosemary as topiary at our March meeting and who provided this report and recipe.

 

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