The heat is still with us and it looks as though it will be for a while. School will be starting soon and many of you parents will have a little more time for yourself. This would be a perfect time to plant some perennial herbs so they would be established before cold weather sets in.
The recipe this month features rosemary and shrimp.
Sautéed Shrimp with Rosemary
1 pound shrimp in their shells
1/2 C freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tsp. dried rosemary, crumbled
Serves 4
Clean the shrimp.
Combine cleaned shrimp with lemon juice, salt, pepper, garlic and rosemary in a glass bowl. Cover and marinate for about 1 hour in the refrigerator, stirring occasionally.
Preheat a large nonstick over high heat. Transfer the contents of the bowl to the hot pan. Cook the shrimp for about 2 minutes on each side, until the shells turn bright pink and the meat is done.
The gardening tip for this month is a handy way to preserve herbs for winter use. One way you can preserve herbs is to freeze them in water. Chop the
herbs into an ice-cube tray, cover them with water, and freeze.
Store the cubes in plastic bags in the freezer. Add these handy
cubes as you prepare soup or other dishes.
Rosemary by Your Garden Gate
By Sarah White
As well as being a greatly loved culinary herb, rosemary also
has a vast history and great metaphysical aspects. Being such a good
cooking herb it has traveled around the world, spreading it’s aroma and
seeds with it. Being native to the Mediterranean region, it is used in
the cuisine, giving it a very original taste. This plant also
symbolizes remembrance, as it is used in weddings, war commemorations,
and funerals. It is also said that its aroma helps improve memory. Not
only used in cooking, rosemary was also used to flavor ales and wine,
as well as being used in Christmas decorations.
Hungary Water was made for the Queen of Hungary to 'renovate
vitality of paralyzed limbs'. It contained rosemary tops in flower and
was made by mixing them into a liter of spirits of wine and was allowed
to sit for four days before being distilled. Rosemary was also said to
have been woven into the wreath that Anne of Cleves wore at her
wedding. This plant has also been mentioned in various pieces of
literature such as William Shakespeare’s Ophelia, and is in words by Sir Thomas More.
In medicine, it helps dandruff, arthritis,
stomach problems, and helps calm headaches as well as prevents
baldness. Rosemary hydrosol is used to ease arthritis and headaches as
well, soothing both the joints and the mind. When made into an infusion
and used as a hair wash, it removes dandruff and stimulates the hair
follicles to prevent baldness. Used in food, it aids in digestion and
soothes stomach aches. (Harmful if used in large doses.)
Used for centuries as an incense in
religious and magical ceremonies, it’s smoke is said to removed
negativity, purify objects as well as the body, and to help clear the
mind. It is greatly used in healing sachets and poppets, and in dream
pillows to expel nightmares. Wearing rosemary in a small bag or vial
pendant is said to help memory and is great for students. Rosemary is
also a herb associated with fairies under the name of ‘elfleaf’ and is
said to keep harmful ones away while encouraging helpful one to come.
This herb known around the world covers everything from cooking to religion. What does it mean to you?
