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Rosemary edible?

TomskTomsk Posts: 204

I have an old rosemary bush in my garden which is only there for aesthetics.

Are the leaves perfectly safe to cook with, or are only certain types of rosemary edible or nice tasting?

Posts

  • nutcutletnutcutlet Posts: 27,445

    rosemary is rosemary. There may be different colours of flowers and manner of growth and hardiness and some taste stronger than others but it's all Rosmarinus officinalis



    In the sticks near Peterborough
  • TomskTomsk Posts: 204

    OK, thanks.

    Given how I've only ever looked after it as a bush to look at, is there anything I can do to make it taste better? All I do now is prune it, and occasionally water it as part of spraying the garden during dry spells. It might get a bit of fertiliser from what I throw down for nearby flowers, but it seems to have grown big and tall on its own.

  • nutcutletnutcutlet Posts: 27,445

    I don't think it needs anything Tomsk. I don't water mine, but if it's in a pot you need to. And Iwouldn't offer too much food, they're not that hardy and if it grows soft and lush it might have trouble in the winter



    In the sticks near Peterborough
  • ItalophileItalophile Posts: 1,731

    Rosemary is a Mediterranean native that grows wild in the hottest, roughest conditions. It needs nothing except plenty of sun and very well-drained soil. In a pot, it would need to be exceedingly well drained.

  • It grows wonderfully in my vertical rockface garden in the Languedoc, surviving scorching summers with no attention, and icy mountain winds in the winter.  Its a bit like lavender though - if you cut back into old wood it doesn't regenerate.  I tend to lop off old leggy stems and pop a few cuttings of the newest growth into a pot of compost in a shady place, damp if possible, and thereby always have a supply of new plants top replace any that become too straggly.

  • you can use the leaves in breads and cakes and other cooking but not too much.Also you can use it as a disenfectant or if you out it the oven after baking (oven off) it will act as a freshner to the whole house or in a bowl of hot water.It likes a dry site and protect from very cold weather.

  • ....it goe without saying that you pick the newest, youngest growth to eat

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