Discussion on Rosemary

[Witchy Cowgirl]

As I mentioned before I am a true beginner when it come to all this. I choose Rosemary as my first herb (and my husband put a sage plant in our garden.) I have the Rosemary in a container by my front steps and I love the smell of it. I did a search for Rosemary and got (I think) 3 pages of threads returned. Is there any certain thread that might be better to start with?

[Lavender]

Heh! Rosemary is a very popular herb here. :) It's worthwhile going through the older threads & see what they say. I can't remember off hand but I was thinking of doing a discussion on rosemary next. :) I'll split this off for the Rosemary discussion.

Here's a couple of links for other info on rosemary.

http://www.botanical.com/botanical/mgmh/r/rosema17.html

http://www.holisticonline.com/Herbal-Med/_Herbs/h288.htm

[Yvonne Belisle]

It is supposed to thrive where a woman rules the roost :)

[Theres]

i love love love love love love love rosemary! one of my favorite herbs.
i try to drink a cup of rosemary tea at least three or four times a week, as it is supposed to help with... uh, hmmm... something. oh yeah, memory!
we have two varieties growing at the garden right now, and they are huge. in full bloom too, all purple and beautiful and COVERED with bees. i wish i knew where THAT hive was, because the honey is going to be awesome!
i just made 'May Wine' for Beltane using rosemary and sweet woodruff, with a bit of apple. it came out quite nicely.
oh, what the heck, here's something i wrote on rosemary awhile back at another site...

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i want to start a series of posts about various herbs. i'll try to include magickal and healing properties, as well as culinary uses. and i'll include correspondences whenever possible.
so the first one is going to be Rosemary (rosemarinius officinalis), because it's one of my very favorites. it is ruled by the Sun, and is a fire herb.
medicinally, it is wonderful tonic for the brain, helping to increase memory function. it can also prove helpful in preventing or relieving headaches, including migraines. this is probably from it's high levels of rosemarinic acid, an anti-inflammatory.
it is also said to be good for the heart, and has been used to treat both insomnia and depression.
so a cup of rosemary tea everyday is a great idea. trust me, it's great. (now if i could just remember where i put my rosemary!)

magickally, it is again associated with memory, and any magickal working that requires 'special remembering'. it is traditionally given out at weddings and handfastings, and is often woven into the brides wreath.
it is also used as a funereal herb, again having to do with remembering.
it is an herb of protection, and can be used as an incense for baby blessings (Wiccanings and such). mixed with juniper rosemary makes a great purifying incense for the sickroom. it can be hung by your door (like mistletoe) as a protection against thieves.
in the past warriors have been known to wear rosemary when going into battle, and one source i've read suggests wearing some when going out on job interviews (it couldn't hurt!).

and in the kitchen, i would never be without some fresh rosemary when doing chicken or pork. quite a few years back at Beltane, we all chipped in on a pig, and roasted it in the ground for six+ hours. beforehand, myself and my friend Joe spent awhile putting lots of slits in the skin (probably 100!) and filling each one with a clove of garlic and a sprig of rosemary. we sang magickal songs as we did this, to pass the time AND to imbue our communal feast with a little magick. it was delicious!!!
i also have (somewhere) a recipe for flan (like a custard) which i have prepared using rosemary. basically, you make it according to the regular method of making flan, but infuse the milk with fresh rosemary first. bang it with the back of a large spoon to 'bruise' it first. this helps to release the volitile oils a bit better. i've also done this recipe with fresh lavender. REALLY good!

"There's rosemary, that's for remembrance, pray, love, remember." - Shakespeare

[Lavender]

Thanks, Greenman! :D It's almost lunch time here & I'm absolutely drooling over that roast pig of yours. I'd better go get some lunch before I short out my keyboard. :) One of my favourite combos is rosemary and lavender. I make a soap with these oils & it is fabulous!

[Witchy Cowgirl]

Thanks for posting! I'm so excited and proud to be learning.

[seawitch]

Rosemary! one of my very favorite herbs.
Greenman, how long does it take for a rosemary plant to grow big enough to actauly harvest? the only ones i have seen are about 6" tall
great thread

[Theres]

i never take more than i'm going to use at the time, so you can trim a bit here and there as soon as it's big enough.
the one's we have at the garden went in during the summer of '98, and they're nearly 2.5' tall now!
ummmmmmm... rosemary!

[Lavender]

Originally posted by seawitch
Rosemary! one of my very favorite herbs.
Greenman, how long does it take for a rosemary plant to grow big enough to actauly harvest? the only ones i have seen are about 6" tall
great thread

You can pinch of the growing tip of the rosemary & use that. But not too much. Just pinch it off about 1/4 inch above the next set of branches. This will encourage the plant to grow bushy.

[Wildwood]

A friend of mine once told me that rosemary keeps spiders away. I don't know if that is true but it might be helpful for the arachnophobes in the audience.

Wildwood.

[materra]

I think you guys would like to visit AZ...they grow rosemary as hedges here....amazing. However I don't think it will help with arachnids or we wouldn't have the scorpion/blackwidow population we do. :bug: Plus we have spiderwebs on the bushes by my office.

Something I grew up with was a hair tonic, made with rosemary and cider or white vinegar. You used it to rinse your hair. It made it brighter....and if you were a redhead like I was it really enhanced the sparkle. I cannot recall the recipe, but, I think we steeped the rosemary in warm vinegar. Any ideas?

[Lamoondove]

Hi Great thread guys ,,, I drink rosemary and Thyme Tea is something my mom use to do , I find it calming and relaxing , she says it helps your breathing and upper respatory ,, parden the spelling,,,:) I Love all the info on all the herb threads here is great to have so much help ... Thanx guys :) ~~~~~~~MP

[veinglory]

Rosemary brings luck to a new house... for a housing warming a sprig over the door is good luck.

[alexx]

Rosemary can be used to purify, and has a reviving effect if you crush the leaves and breathe the scent. I love the flavour of it!

[Lamoondove]

WoW cool I didnt know that and I am about to move soon to ... Thanx a buch .. will definitly have to get some ,,, Always drank in in the tea with thyme but didnt even cross my mind ,may have other wonderfull ways to be used ,,,, :) Thanx.... ~~~MP~~~~

[Lamoondove]

Rosemary can be used to purify, and has a reviving effect if you crush the leaves and breathe the scent. I love the flavour of it!

Got to start me another journal now ,,lol,, Herbs and Tid bits journal .. so much info i just Love it ,,, Thanx ,,,~~~~~~~~~~MP~~~~~~~~~~~

[MoonRaven]

I used to keep it in a pot next to a doorway just close enough that it'd get barely brushed if anyone walked past it. After a few days the whole room smelled like Chalet Sauce (and if you've never been to Swiss Chalet you don't know what you're missing!)

The plant I have now is in a huge self-watering pot right next to a south-facing window and it's doing great. Definitely one of my favourites along with sage and sweet violet. Excellent on sautéed potatoes!