Rosemary, that's for remembrance
It's been raining here. A lot. While I like the rain--after all, how can on have gardens without it?--it does make things like digging new beds and other outdoor things kind of hard. So, I've decided that since I can't garden outside, I'll delight you with the tale of one of my favorite herbs: Rosemary!
Rosemary is not exactly rare. In fact, it's used in almost every kitchen I know. While most households use the dried form, since it's more economical and doesn't go bad quickly, many (including my own) use the fresh version as well. But rosemary isn't just used for cooking. Far from it!
What was that? You have no idea what rosemary is? It's an herb, with a woody stem and leaves that look like fat pine needles. In fact, at Christmas time, a popular gift is a little rosemary bush pruned in the shape of a Christmas tree. If you pick the leaves from the bush, you'll find that rosemary is a very fragrant herb. It smells kind of pungent, but in a clean, fresh way, kind of like a pine scent. One might also describe the scent as invigorating, stimulating, purifying. That's not a coincidence. Rosemary has been used throughout history as a medicine.
With its scent alone, this herb has been used to raise the spirits, to help listlessness and fatigue, and to help with mental exhaustion. The flowers and leaves can be distilled into an essential oil, and combined with a base oil like sweet almond oil, you can make a nice massage oil. Massage with this oil has been used as a treatment for muscular pain and poor circulation. It can help you breathe easier when you have a cold, kind of like a natural vapo-rub. Rosemary can help with skin conditions and can stimulate hair growth. Rosemary tea can be used as an antiseptic gargle for mouth issues as well. But since it is known for raising blood pressure and other effects, it's not recommended that pregnant women or epileptics use it medicinally (since a little goes a long way when cooking with rosemary, however, it's fine for most folks to eat things seasoned with it).
Rosemary isn't just famous for it's medicinal qualities, and though most people use it in cooking (rosemary lamb is so delicious), it's also known for other reasons, things fantasy and history readers might find more interesting.
Shakespeare fans might remember their Hamlet: "There's rosemary, that's for remembrance." Traditionally, going back before Shakespeare, rosemary was used as a symbol of fidelity and faithfulness. Brides have put it in their bridal bouquets in this symbolic way, and people have sent messages with rosemary as a reminder to the recipient of trust between giver and receiver. It's also used at funerals, to remember those who have passed.
Rosemary has often been associated with witchcraft and faeries. There is also a story about how the plant got its lovely blue-tones flowers: When the Virgin Mary was escaping from Egypt, she rested and spread her blue cloak over a nearby bush that had white flowers. When she removed the cloak, the flowers had become blue. It's also claimed that when Aphrodite first rose from the sea in Greek mythology after she was born, she was cloaked with the herb.
A fourteenth century manuscript by a Venetian merchant called Zibaldone da Canal lists several uses of rosemary, ranging from the mundane (eat some for longevity; wash your face with it to be beautiful, etc) to somewhat absurd (grind up a leaf and put it on a crab to kill the crab immediately; keep some in your house to keep away serpents, etc).
If you are interested in growing rosemary in your own garden, it's pretty easy to take care of. I would generally suggest buying a small plant from a nursery versus growing rosemary from seeds, especially if you are new to gardening. It's not always the easy plant to start from seeds. Rosemary loves warmer climates, but you can still grow it in colder climates. You just need to bring it inside in the winter. Since rosemary is a perennial, it will come back year after year. In order to harvest it, take some shears and just trim off a branch. Then pluck the leaves from the stem to use them in cooking or distilling, or you can use the whole stem as a garnish, as a little decoration, as a nice touch to a gift, etc.
Why not buy a little bunch at the supermarket and experiment a bit with its flavor and scent? And let me know what you think!