My unruly rosemary bush !I’ve always battled to grow my own rosemary. I’ve tried to grow it every which way … different soils, (different countries !) different varieties, less sun, more sun, less water, more water, in a pot, in the ground … you get the picture ! So, imagine my delight when we moved to the farm and there was this huge, rambling old rosemary bush tucked away in a corner of the garden ? I’m not sure who planted it, or how long it’s been here, but it looks quite old and has thick, gnarled and woody stems at it’s base.
We’re not great lamb eaters, and everyone knows how well rosemary goes with lamb. So I’ve tried using it in different ways – sometimes as part of a lemon based marinade for chicken, thrown in to casseroles or tomato based sauces for extra flavour and I’ve even done a “Jamie Oliver” and threaded meat and veggies onto rosemary stalks in place of kebab sticks, and thrown them onto the barbecue. (This method is not recommended as it all sounds really great in theory, but the rosemary stalks are actually quite soft so you end up with a “floppy” kebab which is difficult to handle on the “Barbie” !)
I sometimes even include long sprigs of rosemary in my flower arrangements (we have some lovely flowers in the garden and I am – luckily - never short of freshly picked flowers for the house) and they give off a lovely fragrance. The older rosemary is often covered with tiny, delicate lilac coloured flowers, too (which you can just make out in the photograph). Seeing as I have so much of the stuff, I also have 3 large, dried bunches hanging in my kitchen … they really do smell lovely ….
As we cannot buy fresh herbs here (apart from the odd limp looking bunch of coriander) I also grow my own basil, thyme, mint and coriander. I’ve had no luck with other herbs, so I stick with what I know will grow here. These are all planted in pots and as I’ve just recently re planted, I’ll post some pictures once they’re more established. I’ve also planted thyme in to some of my flower beds and it makes a lovely, fragrant change to boring old shrubs !
My next planting session will include different lettuce varieties (we can only buy the boring old iceberg variety here, and no matter how well I transport it back from town, it’s never very fresh) and rocket. I ADORE rocket. Especially the kind that makes your eyes water !
So, I’ll post from time to time about what I’m getting up to in my herb and veggie garden !
We’re not great lamb eaters, and everyone knows how well rosemary goes with lamb. So I’ve tried using it in different ways – sometimes as part of a lemon based marinade for chicken, thrown in to casseroles or tomato based sauces for extra flavour and I’ve even done a “Jamie Oliver” and threaded meat and veggies onto rosemary stalks in place of kebab sticks, and thrown them onto the barbecue. (This method is not recommended as it all sounds really great in theory, but the rosemary stalks are actually quite soft so you end up with a “floppy” kebab which is difficult to handle on the “Barbie” !)
I sometimes even include long sprigs of rosemary in my flower arrangements (we have some lovely flowers in the garden and I am – luckily - never short of freshly picked flowers for the house) and they give off a lovely fragrance. The older rosemary is often covered with tiny, delicate lilac coloured flowers, too (which you can just make out in the photograph). Seeing as I have so much of the stuff, I also have 3 large, dried bunches hanging in my kitchen … they really do smell lovely ….
As we cannot buy fresh herbs here (apart from the odd limp looking bunch of coriander) I also grow my own basil, thyme, mint and coriander. I’ve had no luck with other herbs, so I stick with what I know will grow here. These are all planted in pots and as I’ve just recently re planted, I’ll post some pictures once they’re more established. I’ve also planted thyme in to some of my flower beds and it makes a lovely, fragrant change to boring old shrubs !
My next planting session will include different lettuce varieties (we can only buy the boring old iceberg variety here, and no matter how well I transport it back from town, it’s never very fresh) and rocket. I ADORE rocket. Especially the kind that makes your eyes water !
So, I’ll post from time to time about what I’m getting up to in my herb and veggie garden !
