Rosemary – Profile
Posted by Phytopath on Jul 24, 2010
Family: Lamiaceae (formerly Labiatae)
Genus: Rosmarinus
species: officinalis
common name: rosemary
varieties: several varieties and cultivars exist with flowers of blue, violet, pink or white and varying leaf length and width.
Origin: the Mediterranean region.
Plant description:
Rosemary
evergreen shrub to 1.5m. Young branches are covered with soft downy hairs. Leaves are opposite, linear, to 4cm long with revolute margins, dark green above, grey-green and hairy beneath. Flowers are pale blue, to 7mm long, with a prominent concave upper lip. They are found in few-flowered whorls in short axillary or terminal racemes. The whole herb is characterized by a strong persistent aroma. The fruit are very small spherical nutlets with smooth surfaces.
Propagation: tip cuttings in early spring or heeled cuttings in summer, autumn and winter. Rosemary can be grown from seed but seedlings are slow growing.
Soil: well drained, coarse and sandy. Neutral pH.
Aspect/climate: full sun
Cultivation: minimal maintenance. Plants do not transplant well.
Pests & disease: minimal
Parts used: leaves and twigs
Harvesting & storage:
Hang freshly cut bunches in a dark, well-aired, warm place for a few days. When the leaves are dry they can be easily stripped off the stems (from the bottom up) and crumbled into small pieces. Sprays of fresh rosemary may be wrapped in foil, sealed in a plastic bag and stored in the freezer for some months. Because rosemary is an evergreen plant it is best harvested and used fresh. Rosemary oil is produced by steam distillation.
Flavour: strong, pungent, astringent, pine-like, peppery, warming, woody and herby with a lingering camphor-like aftertaste.
Aroma: pine-like, minty with hints of eucalyptus.
Properties/actions:
antioxidant, astringent, diaphoretic, stomachic, emmenagogue, expectorant, cholagogue and tonic, carminative, rubifacient, antispasmodic, antidepressive, antimicrobial and antibacterial (rosemary oil).
Recommended for: depression, headaches and muscle spasms.
Weight per tsp (5ml): whole dried cut leaves 1.8g
ground 1.6g
Used in: Italian herbs and seasoned stuffing mixes
Used with: meat, poultry, fish, eggs, soup, sauce, herb butters, savoury jams and honey.
complements:
scones
mashed potato
zucchini & eggplant
soy beans
pork
lamb
duck
pates & game
Traditional use:
principally as a culinary herb. It was also a favourite strewing herb and also has an association with memory, lover’s fidelity and remembrance. Rosemary can be used externally as a compress, or as a herbal oil for the relief of muscular aches and pains. Rosemary was also used as a hedging plant in knot gardens or other formal situations.
Warning:
oil of rosemary is not recommended for use by pregnant women.
Rosemary recipes
Culinary
Mint & Rosemary Stuffing
225g onions
2 celery sticks
225g fresh white or wholemeal breadcrumbs
30ml mint sauce
10ml (2tsp) chopped fresh rosemary
finely grated rind of 1 lemon
1 egg, beaten
salt & freshley ground pepper
Finely chop the onion and celery and soften them in the butter. In a large bowl, mix together the breadcrumbs, mint sauce, rosemary and lemon rind. Stir in the celery and onion. Mix well and bind together with the egg.
Makes enough stuffing for a 4.5kg to 5.4kg turkey.
Cosmetic
Milk & Honey Bath Oil with Rosemary
2 eggs
45ml (3tbsp) rosemary oil
10ml (2tsp) honey
10ml (2tsp) baby shampoo
15ml (1tbsp) vodka
150ml milk
Beat the eggs and oil together, then add the other ingredients and mix thoroughly. Pour into a clean glass bottle. Add 30-45ml (2-3 tbsp) to the bath and keep the rest chilled, for use within a few days. The addition of a little shampoo makes this a dispersing oil which does not leave a greasy rim around the bath.
Medicinal
Rosemary Tea
250ml (1cup) water
1 teaspoon chopped rosemary
Boil the water and pour it on to the rosemary. Leave to steep for a few minutes, then strain and serve. Rosemary tea, taken daily for some months, is the best long-term solution for poor circulation.
Rose Pruning Basics
Posted by Phytopath on Jul 16, 2010
Flamingo
In the Southern Hemisphere we are approaching rose pruning time.
Although the flowers are beautiful, I must admit that I am not fond of the plant. You almost have to suit up in knight’s armour, as if going in to battle, just to get close and personal with them.
I do recall many years ago, a series of rose bushes that were bred to be thornless. At the time, I was working in a retail nursery and sales of the new rose were almost nonexistent. The flower shape was good and there was a range of about four colours to choose from.
Eventually I started asking customers why they were still buying traditional roses instead of the new thornless variety. The answer surprised me. “It is not a rose unless it has thorns” was the standard reply. Well bugger me, I thought. I bet they don’t prune their own rose bushes when planted on masse.
Anyway, If you have a few rose bushes and are new to rose pruning, here are some rose pruning basics.
Hybrid Tea, Floribunda and Bush Roses are the most commonly grown roses here in Australia. The standard procedure for pruning these plants is to first remove any dead wood. Then look for any branches that are crossing each other, which could lead to injury followed by infection. Once these have been located make a decision on which one should be removed.
Your decision may depend on the direction the branch is growing or the size of the branch, or the age of the branch.
The direction needs to be toward the outer part of the bush (i.e. growth pointing toward the outside of the bush) and not toward the centre. The size of the branch ideally should be larger than pencil thickness and young wood should be retained in preference to old wood.
Once the crossing branches have been dealt with, next you remove thin, spindly growth from all over the plant and then remove any growth which is growing into the centre of the plant.
If the plant has any obvious suckers (growth from below the graft) these should be removed but if the rose bush has water shoots (new, strong growth from above the graft) these need to be retained as they will form the future framework of the bush.
All of the above cuts should be made with a sharp tool (secateurs or loppers) and the cuts should be made flush with a stem. Do not leave stubs which could get die back.
The next and final step is to reduce the height of the rose bush. For a light prune you would remove about one third of the height (growth) and cut the stem to an outward facing bud. A light prune will give you more flowers but smaller in size (good for floribunda roses).
A hard prune, means removing about half or 50% of the height (growth) which will give you fewer flowers but larger blooms (good for hybrid tea roses).
Whatever you decide, it is highly unlikely that you will kill the rose bush. They are very forgiving and will still reward you with some beautiful flowers after they have scratched you to pieces first.
Climbing Roses are treated differently. They flower on old wood and these canes should not be cut back or shortened. Instead, one third of the old canes are removed completely at ground level each year after flowering. So if you have six canes growing from the base, you would remove the two oldest. That way, the plant is kept young and full of vigour. Flowering laterals can be shortened to 2 or 3 buds, again after flowering.
Banksia Rose
Banksia roses are simply thinned after flowering. Easy.
Weeping standard roses, just like the climbing roses, have all of the oldest canes removed from the base, up to 50% of the total number of stems can be removed.
Miniature roses are the easiest to prune. It is a bit like having a number one crew cut; you just shave the lot and leave stubble. This can be done by hand or with hedge shears. If the rose is a grafted one, make sure that the cuts are above the graft.
Chickpea
Posted by Phytopath on Jul 5, 2010
Some friends came to visit me on the weekend and because it was an unexpected visit, I had not bought or baked any nice nibbles to enjoy over a cup of coffee.
But I always make sure to have a packet of water crackers in the pantry and a can of organic chickpeas. It only took ten minutes to caramelise some garlic and add it to the drained chickpeas with a little lemon juice. Then place it all in a blender until it is well blended and presto – a lovely homemade dip to go with the water crackers and coffee.
Of course we all had to have some because I had loaded it with garlic. As long as we all smelt the same, nobody could complain.
So how do you grow chickpeas? In case you would like to make your own hummus or felafel.
Chickpea (Cicer arietinum) is also known as Garbanzo, Gram, Bengal gram, Egyptian pea, Dahl and Chana.
It is an annual plant growing to around 30 cm (1 foot) tall with compound leaves and tiny white or blue tinged flowers. The fruit is a small pod containing one or two seeds, each with a structure or growth that looks like a beak.
The plant prefers to grow in light (sandy), well drained soil that is fertile and enriched with organic matter, in full sun.
Prepare the site by adding organic matter to the soil before planting and then rake the ground to create a fine tilth. Water the area well prior to sowing the seed.
In areas where the climate is similar to the Mediterranean, the seed can be sown in autumn and winter. In warm temperate climates, sow the seed after frosts have passed. In a cool temperate climate, sow the seed in pots, in early spring and keep in a glasshouse until frosts have passed in late spring. If you live in the sub tropics, sow the seed after the wet season has passed.
Broadcast the seed on to the prepared beds and lightly cover with soil. If you prefer to sow the seed in rows, plant them 25 cm apart with 50 cm between rows.
Germination may be helped by soaking the seed for an hour before planting.
Keep the growing area weed free while the young plants are establishing. Once established, the plants are not very demanding of water but do benefit from a good soak just before flowering and again when the peas begin to swell.
The pods should be ready to harvest after four to six months. You will know when the time is right because the leaves and pods will turn brown, but make sure you do not leave it too late because the pods will split and release the peas.
Cut the stems at the base and tie a bundle together to hang upside down in warm, dry place. Once the seeds are dry, store them in air tight containers.
Leave the roots of the plants in the ground after harvest, to supply nitrogen to the soil for the next crop that you intend to plant.
Powdery mildew may be a problem for the plants near the end of their growing season, so treat as you would any other plant that is susceptible to powdery mildew.
Nutritionally, chickpeas are high in protein and contain phosphorous, potassium, iron, calcium, zinc and most B vitamins. They are also low in fat and contain dietary fibre.
The young shoots and leaves are also edible and can be boiled or steamed and added to curries and soups.
Chickpeas are made in to stews and soups throughout Europe and in India, they are boiled, roasted, fried, sprouted, ground into flour (besan) and stewed into dhal.
In Israel and Egypt, the chickpeas are made into flat cakes known as felafel.
There are two main types of chickpea, white – which is really a tan colour and black – which is dark brown in colour.
Dried chickpeas need to be soaked for eight hours or overnight in cold water before use. After soaking they will double in size and then they are ready for use in cooking which will take another hour and a half. I reckon it is easier just to open a can.
To make a quick hummus add two garlic cloves, two teaspoons lemon juice, one table spoon olive oil, and a 400 gram can of drained chickpeas to a food processor or blender. Blend until you get a smooth paste (add some of the liquid from the can of chickpeas if the mix is too dry) and then decant in to a nice bowl. Drizzle a small amount of olive oil over the top and serve with pitta bread or water crackers.
I would post a picture of the finished product but my visitors and I ate it all.
Yummy
