| Remember the rosemary 04/01/2001 By Helen Bond / Special Contributor to The Dallas Morning News Kitchen garden
There is nothing better than homegrown culinary herbs to spice up a favorite dish. And for you novices, kitchen garden herbs are a great start to enjoy the rewards of gardening.
Most herbs are easy to grow and require less fuss, water and soil preparation than other garden plants, says Marian Buchanan, a Dallas master gardener. She says 90 percent of successful kitchen herb growing is good drainage.
This month we offer a delicious twist to the You Can Do It and Weekend Taste features, combining the columns to give you the lowdown on how to grow a selected herb and use it in cooking.
Rosemary
In warm climates this herb, native to the arid Mediterranean area, can be grown as an evergreen perennial, which means you can enjoy its flavor in your cooking year-round. Rosemary is an evergreen shrub with leaves that look like curved pine needles.
How to grow: Upright rosemary transplants are winter-hardy and best for cooking.
Plant rosemary in a container, graduating in size as the herb grows, or a raised bed allowing 3 to 4 feet to accommodate the herb's healthy growth. The soil should drain well, so that it dries out regularly. Rosemary requires generous sunshine – four to six hours a day minimum. Don't fertilize or water the herb too much.
How to use: You can start cooking with rosemary as soon as the plant is big enough to withstand cutting. Remove rosemary from the stem and chop. Avoid the stem, which tastes bitter. Rich with essential oils, rosemary can withstand cooking longer than many herbs.
• Sprinkle rosemary and lemon zest on chicken.
• Melt butter with rosemary to add punch to red potatoes, peas or other vegetables; or blend with garlic to season meats and marinades.
• Add to vinegar, olive oil and salad dressings.
Because of its strong flavor, if you double a recipe, don't double the use of rosemary.
Helen Bond is a Dallas-based free-lance writer.
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