With the shift toward cooking at home coming back into favor, many people are enjoying growing their own herbs to use in their recipes. Because most of our environments don’t necessarily lend to favorable conditions to grow herbs outdoors, many of us have started our own little indoor herb gardens. Indoor herb gardens are relatively easy to maintain. They bring a bit of nature inside, add a slight aroma to your home, and bring great flavors to your foods.
Rosemary has been a favorite herb to add to your cooking for centuries. Originally native to the Mediterranean region, the name rosemary comes from the Latin for “ros marinus”, meaning “dew of the sea”. It has been attributed to improving memory, recognized as a symbol of love and loyalty, an herb of divination, and even as a repellent for witches during the Middle Ages! Throughout the many years, it has always been used as a flavor enhancer for many recipes, and today, it is a must have herb for any herb gardener!
Growing Rosemary Indoors Is Actually A Very Easy Task. Here’s How It’s Done:
- It’s recommended to start with a fully grown plant. Seed germination with rosemary can be difficult, and you might as well leave it to the experts. Be sure to pick a fully grown plant with firm, but not brittle, needles.
- Pick a spot in your home that gets at least 6 hours of sunlight a day. Rosemary is sensitive to cold weather, so try to pick a spot with very little or no cold draft. If placing by a window, you may want to put a plastic film covering over the window during the Winter months to reduce draft.
- Rosemary is a thirsty herb–so water it on a regular basis. You don’t want the soil to get bone dry, but you also don’t want it to be sopping wet. Most of us can get by with watering our rosemary once every 3-4 days, just enough to maintain moist soil.
- Use an all purpose organic fertilizer on your rosemary plant. Following the instructions regarding how much to use at a time, apply the fertilizer once in the Spring, 3 months later in the Summer, and then again in the Fall. There is no need to fertilize in the Winter.
- Rosemary is usually ready for harvest during the Winter months. If you prefer using the herb as a dry seasoning, snip about half of the new growth, leaving the other half to continue growing. Wash the snipping, pat dry, and place in a dry place. The needles can then be broken off and collected in a container to be stored in your spice rack.
- Many people prefer fresh rosemary in their cooking. If this is the case, just snip as you need–year round! Always be sure to leave at least half of your growth to ensure plenty of rosemary for years to some.
And just to make things interesting, here’s one of my favorites recipes! It just wouldn’t be the same without rosemary! Until next time, take care and happy gardening!
Mediterranean Chicken and Vegetables:
| Marinade | |
| 1/2 | cup lemon juice |
| 3 | tablespoons olive oil |
| 2 | teaspoons dried rosemary leaves |
| 1/2 | teaspoon salt |
| 1/4 | teaspoon pepper |
| 8 | cloves garlic, chopped |
| Chicken and Vegetables | |
| 6 | chicken thighs (about 2.25 lb) |
| 2 | large red potatoes, cut into 1/2-inch pieces |
| 2 | small zucchini, cut into 1-inch pieces |
| 1 | medium red bell pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces |
| 1 | red onion, cut into 1-inch pieces, pieces separated |
| 1. | In small bowl or measuring cup, mix marinade ingredients. |
| 2. | In large resealable food-storage plastic bag, place chicken thighs. In another large resealable food-storage plastic bag, place potatoes, zucchini, bell pepper and onion. Pour half of the marinade over contents in each bag. Seal bags; turn to coat contents with marinade. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes but no longer than 6 hours, turning bags occasionally. |
| 3. | Heat oven to 400°F. Line 15×10x1-inch pan with foil. Place chicken thighs, skin side up, on one side of pan and vegetables on other side of pan. Pour any remaining marinade over chicken and vegetables. |
| 4. | Bake 35 to 45 minutes or until vegetables are tender and juice of chicken is clear when thickest part is cut to bone (180°F), spooning juice in pan over chicken and vegetables halfway through bake time. Sprinkle with shredded Parmesan cheese if desired. |
maybe you would enjoy my blog, i certainly enjoyed yours.
Herbs are really useful in getting nutrients naturally, some of them have medicinal properties too.`*`