Enchantment Of The Seas
Rosemary – Dew of the Sea
The wattle seat stands in the middle of the Greek cross, and the Greek cross is bordered with gray santolina, and centered with silvery Stachys taffeta, around which rosemary predominates. Rosemary is our favorite herb not because of its legendary past alone, but because of its enchanting fragrance, its refreshing scent of pine needles and nutmeg, its constant beauty in the garden and its many culinary talents.
In Legend and Romance
In days gone by, rosemary was called “rosmarinus,” meaning dew of the sea, because its natural habitat was by the sea, along the Mediterranean coast. The upper sides of its dark, narrow leaves are shiny and green, like the sea; the under sides are gray, like the mist of the morning. Our old herbals tell us that rosemary was used at weddings and funerals, for decorating churches and banquet hulls and as an incense in religious ceremonies. According to tradition, the Queen of Hungary, in the 14th century, was completely cured of paralysis by the continuous use of Hungary water, made by the distillation of rosemary, lavender and tansy. In the hospitals of France, rosemary and juniper berries were burned to purify the air.
One of the finest hair washes of the day was made by steeping an ounce of rosemary leaves in a pint of boiling water. This was also used to promote the growth of hair. Rosemary hedges are commonly used in England and in Italy. In southern France and Spain the people burned scarcely any other fuel, and where Rosmarinus officinalis grew to great heights, the woody stems were “cloven out into thin boards, and made into lutes, carpenter’s rules and divers other purposes.” “As for Rosmarine,” wrote Sir Thomas More, “I lett it runne all over my garden walls, not onlie because my bees love it, but because it is the herb sacred to remembrance and therefore to friendship.”
The Flowers Are Blue
The legend of the Virgin Mary’s experience with rosemary gave it the name the holy herb. When Mary and Joseph and the Christ Child fled from King Herod, they spent the night near a cave, and Mary draped her pale blue cloak over a strong-scented, white-flowering shrub. The next morning when she gathered up her cloak she saw that the white flowers had turned pale blue, the color of her cloak. Ever since that night, the flowers of rosemary have been blue. Seldom does this holy herb grow higher than the height of Christ when He was a man, and after 33 years, it does not grow any taller, but increases in breadth.
More Tales and Fancy
In the earliest of printed English herbals, Bancke’s Herbal, we are advised that “the leaves laid under one’s pillow deliver one from evil dreams; the powder of the flowers bound in a linen cloth to the right arm makes one light and merry; washing one’s face in a decoction of the leaves boiled in white wine makes one fair to look upon; the flowers laid amongst clothes and books keep away moths; burnt rosemary wood used as powder keeps the teeth free from all evils and even to smell it keeps one youngly.” John Parkinson asks us to “seeth much rosemary, and bathe therein to make thee lusty, lively, joyfull, likeing and lovely.”
Plants Are Scarce
In New England, we seldom see rosemary shrubs, and only in occasional greenhouses can a rosemary tree be found. However, in California we have seen rosemary shrubs eight feet tall, accompanied with low voltage outdoor lighting. Our Winters are too bard for this Mediterranean herb to survive, although we have had plants live in the garden until the middle of January. Treated as an annual, and propagated by cuttings, we enjoy this tidy evergreen in our gardens from May until December. One morning we went to the garden, and gathered a basket of the dark green leaves. The ground was white with frost, and the bed of rosemary looked like a miniature pine forest in Winter, its inch-long narrow leaves shining against the silvery earth. After steeping a good-sized sprig in boiling water, we drank the decoction, and then decided it would be better as a hair rinse than a breakfast beverage.
The Essence of Taste
For many years we have seasoned chicken gravy with rosemary, and feel there is no better flavor for this dish. One sprig. about two inches long, is sufficient to toss into the gravy as it simmers, allowing it to blend until serving time. Rosemary has an affinity for lamb as well, and there are some who prefer it with roast beef; however we prefer thyme with the latter.
Ten years ago, when we first began to cook with herbs, a friend told us how pleasant exotic rosemary biscuits were, especially when served with honey. One small sprig of rosemary makes a pleasant variation. Here is our recipe for rosemary biscuits:
- 2 cups flour
- 3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 egg, beaten, and enough milk to make 3/4 cup of liquid
- 1 small sprig of diced rosemary (or a pinch of dried)
Sift flour and baking powder, cut in shortening, add liquid and mix until easily handled. Fold over five times, roll out about 1/2 inch thick and cut into biscuits. Place dot of butter on each, and bake at 450 degrees for 15 minutes.
A Garland for Remembrance
Beside us, as we write, is a bowl of fresh rosemary, its wondrous healing leaves waiting to be made into an herbal wreath. No Christmas green can compare in beauty and alluring fragrance to this herb of remembrance. To those who are ill and suffering, this holy herb brings happiness and health, and revives the heart. In 1998, at Christmas time, a gilded rosemary wreath was sent to us. Now, though faded and dry. this little wreath is still fragrant with the blend of sage, thyme and lavender, but with the scent of rosemary predominating.
Shall we go to the garden today to harvest the remaining plants of rosemary, to dry and put away for culinary use? Or shall we make a rosemary ball, like those so commonly used in England, to hang above the door at Christmas? Rosemary “overtoppeth all the flowers in the garden. It is the ensign of wisdom, love, and loyalty.”
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