Interlude: Rosemary

 Note from the Author: New plant…sort of.

 

This Rosemary in the Test Gardens has white flowers.

The woody stems of Rosemary are interesting on their own. Note all the little bumps, those are potential roots waiting to happen.

This years sky-blue flowers. They only seem to emerge in the cold season.

That glorious foliage, is what it's all about.

 

Common Name: Rosemary

 

Other Common Names: None

 

Botanical Family: Lamiaeae (The Mint Family)

 

Botanical Latin Name: Salvia rosmarinus

 

Description & Habitat: Rosemary is native to Africa, Europe, Western Asia and the Mediterranean. 

In its native region it is found in dry rocky areas however in our area it can be found in most gardens 

and few gardeners have trouble growing it. You might encounter it in the field in yards where the house 

is long gone but parts of the old garden persist. Generally speaking Rosemary prefers sunny locations 

but will tolerate partial shade. It is Salt and Deer resistant and is largely immune to droughts once 

established. Rosemary prefers a sandy slightly acidic soil but gets benefit from regular irrigation and 

fertilizer. Rosemary is a reliable perennial in zones 8 through 10 and can with care attain a height of 

five feet with a spread of four feet. You can identify Rosemary by its square stems which are 

extra-visible in older woody growth, its needle-like leaves which are in opposite arrangement. 

Rosemary in Zone 8 is considered an perennial evergreen herb that is primarily used for culinary 

purposes however the essential oils can help mask your scent from biting insects and it can be used in

 medicinal preparations and the production or flavoring of liquor. The flowers of Rosemary are typically

 a bright sky blue, but cultivars with white or pink flowers do exist. In terms of pests this plant is 

bothered by Mint Moths, Spittlebugs Spider Mites and Whiteflies, but is also one of the few that is not 

bothered by Snails or Slugs. 

Botanical Latin Note: In 2017, Rosemary’s Botanical Latin name was changed from (Rosmarinus 

officinalis) to (Salvia Rosmarinus). This change is because genetic testing of Rosemary revealed that it 

was very closely related to the Sage Genus enough so that it could not be considered its own genus.

 

Special Toxicity Note:  There are no known toxicity issues with this plant.

 

 

When & What to Harvest: Ideally with Rosemary you want to harvest sprigs of Rosemary before it flowers or after the flowering has ended and the plant has resumed growing normally. The needle-like leaves are what you are primarily after for use in a fresh state in your cooking. If the woody stems the needles come from are fairly straight they can be used like a shish kebob skewer. Additionally dried twigs of rosemary with the leaves removed can be burned as somewhat-effective inset-repellant incense.

 

Related Plants: Prostrate Rosemary (Salvia Rosmarinus ‘Prostratus’).

 

Recipe: Rosemary Simple Syrup

 

1 Cup of water

1 Cup of Unbleached Sugar

¼ Cup of Rosemary leaves, packed

 

1. Gently wash the Rosemary using cold water and inspect for undesired debris like webbing or bugs.

2. Chop the Rosemary up as much as possible.

3. Combine all ingredients in a sauce pan and bring to a boil.

4. Stir as needed until the sugar dissolves.

5. Simmer for about a minute after and then remove from heat and cover the pan.

6. Allow the mix to steep for about thirty minutes.

7. Strain out the rosemary bits.

8. Pour the mixture into an appropriate sized jar for display, gifting or for your own use.

9. Once the syrup is cool it is ready to use in drinks or to boost recipes.

         

If making this syrup for display, make sure to use a properly sterilized Mason jar with a new lid. Inspect the jar for any signs of unwanted growth before use and throw out if the safety lid on the jar shows signs of bulging or out-gassing.

         

Additional Information: (If applicable)

https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/salvia-rosmarinus/

 

Where to get Seed or Bare Root Plants:

https://www.botanicalinterests.com/collections/rosemary-heirloom-seeds

 

 

With all that garden goodness covered this is the part of the blog where I have to advertise for the Fayetteville City Market. Now I know you readers probably don’t much like advertisements, but my booth at the City Market helps to cover the costs of running the test garden and literally maintains the Research & Development budget that is used to bring you the information that has made up the backbone of this blog.  In addition to being able to process card payments we now take CashApp payments so your payment options for my product have tripled. With that said; if you want to get some GMO-free, Organic fruit, herbs, flowers and perennials, come on down to the Fayetteville City Market on 325 Maxwell Street in downtown Fayetteville between the hours of 9:00 am and 1:00 pm on Saturdays. Even in bad weather the market goes on though you might have to look for me under the ‘arches’ of the Transportation Museum’s front entryway.

 

Spring Produce:

(This is the last week for the produce listed below, expect spring plants next week.)

Garlic, Softneck

Soup Kits, Parsnip

Soup Kits, Turnip

Carrots

Celery

Onions

Parsnips

Red Potatoes

Turnips

 

Plants Coming Soon:

Elephant Garlic

Soft neck Garlic

Yellow Onions

Formosa Lilies

 

 

How to stay in Contact with Us!

All you need to keep up with all our activities is to have a Nextdoor account and to look for the ‘Sustainable Neighbors of Fayetteville’ group and ask to join! You don’t have to live in Fayetteville to join us! Feel free to ask all your garden questions of our knowledgeable membership and post your cool garden pictures.

 

Sustainable Neighbors of Fayetteville

 

Also please take a gander at the YouTube version of this blog:

The Videos: Look Here

>Newest videos (2): The Common Onion, Elephant Garlic

 

Meetings are still going on! Our next (unofficial) meeting is February 14^th at the Fayetteville City Market at 325 Franklin Street between 9:00 am and 1:00 pm. If you can’t make it to the City Market come on down to the North South Brewery Market which is at 304 Williams Street (Right off West Russel Street), between 1pm and 5pm every Saturday.

And a wise sage said unto me, Hey I go great on mutton!

Welcome to another fine episode of Lost in the Farmers Market, your weekly web log foray into permaculture, organic methods and sticking it to the man all in earth friendly format! Today’s topic is all about Sage, and while we plan to drop some wisdom on all you readers out there we certainly don’t mean an wise old guy when we say sage. Sage it self is one of the less regarded herbs in our daily life as it’s relegated to a background seasoning in most seasoning mixes and we really never stop to appreciate what precisely sage does. I have to admit the sage family is quite diverse, much like the Basil family, but its examples range into territories that the basils can’t even hope to reach. For the purposes of this article sage is considered in four groupings, Culinary, Herbal, Aromatic and Ornamental.  So now that the groupings have been decided lets start with the culinary group.

Culinary sage is best described as any sage that lends a distinct flavor to a beverage or prepared meal by means of the process of cooking or being cut up allowing the essential oils to mix in with the chosen food medium. That gives us five sage varieties to consider in this category. The five safe culinary sages are Common sage (Salvia officinalis), Berggarten Sage (Salvia officinalis ‘Berggarten’), White Dalmatian Sage (S. officinalis ‘White Dalmatian’), Pineapple Sage (S. elegans) and, Greek Sage (S. fruiticosa). The first three sages in this group may seem like a cop out, but all three are there because of the range of preference found for sage’s flavor qualities. The original seasoning Common sage goes well with lamb, but at times can be a bit bitter. Bergartten sage is about the same but has larger leaves making for an easier harvest. Dalmatian sage is the cultivated variety found in higher quality spices, and is far less likely to have any bitterness and thus works in more dishes. Pineapple sage is probably the work horse of the group as it’s crushed foliage adds a pineapple-melon flavor to any dish or beverage. Pineapple sage’s bright red flowers are favored by humming birds but it’s also a tender or herbaceous perennial in general. Greek sage is reportedly used like common sage but possesses a bitter-free flavor that has been said to fall between common and pineapple sage depending on who you ask.  Personally I like sage, it’s got a stately look in the garden with its seemingly fuzzy (P. sage) or ultra crinkled (B. Sage) leaves born on long strap like leaves. In most cases it’s evergreen, and although slow growing the flavor is very evident if used fresh. A dish served at the ranch using Berggarten Sage is a simple Omelet, with fresh paprika peppers, baby portabella mushrooms and a bit of freshly picked sage chopped as fine as possible. Season the eggs to taste but make sure to lightly sauté everything but the eggs separate then add to the omelet mix before pouring it into the frying pan. Respectively adding freshly picked Pineapple sage leaves to a batch of tea to be drunk hot or chilled to become iced tea later is very refreshing! Finely sliced Pineapple sage works in marinades, and as part of a salad if cut finely especially if a sweet salad dressing is used. On the internet you will find no shortage of rescipies for using sage in fresh and dried formats but those are my two, feel free to send in some or ask for that omelet one.

The second grouping of the sage family is the herbal group. Now one could ague that all sages are herbal and I would completely agree. The difference is seen with which ones are actually used to treat health issues most effectively and those are the sages referred to in the herbal group. That aside it is well documented that members of the sage family have value for their anti-sweating agents are antibiotic, stringent, antifungal, antispasmodic, estrogenic, hypoglycemic and have encouraging effects in fighting memory disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease. I defy anyone to say that’s not an impressive list, however the best member of the family for this is the one that produces the most essential oils for which the easy guess are the culinary and aromatic sages. However the variety ‘Extrakta’ which is a cultivated form of common sage(S. officinalis)  produces the most essential oils and thus may be the best medicinally for getting all those nice effects from sage. Barring that Red sage (S. miltiorrhiza ) and Clary Sage (S. sclarea) are also noted to have had much medical use over the ages. On an unrelated note sage has been used as a preservative in meat for ages, and you may find it at your supermarket in ‘sage rubbed’ or ‘air-dried’ sausages in the meat aisle. The labels might not say sage prominently but the ingredient list should have it in there. The idea was that as a preservative, sage kept food from spoiling by means of what later people would learn was bacterial activity.

The third grouping of sage is the Aromatic types. Sage as an incense is a curveball most don’t expect because it only refers to two separate sage varieties, white sage (Salvia apiana) and Black Sage (S. mellifera) the latter of which can be grown in North Carolina! Both are known as sacred sage along with a third non-sage plant Sagebrush (Artemesia tridentata). It is fair to warn you, all of these have a very…pungent aroma when dried and then lit as one would do with an incense stick. However in Native American tradition this aroma is used to expel malicious spirits and to cleanse ones own spirit. I do not know if white or black sage are edible, but at least the black sage is rather stately and while it seems to not grow very long in north Carolina for the time it does it’s the most unique sage in the yard! I personally would love to try some white sage, but have no where to get plants so if any of you out there know of a reputable nursery please comment.

The final grouping to consider with sage are the ornamental types, which is where we take a turn for new territory when compared to basil. Ornamental sage is a xeriscaping hall mark and often is tougher then nails. As with any perennial ornamental sage is only as good as it’s grower and so you readers out there should be vary of what you are buying. Generally it is agreed that the following perennials are ornamental sages for numerous reasons; Golden Sage (S. officinalis ‘Aurea’), Purple Sage (S. officinalis ‘Purpurescens’), Tricolor Sage (S. officinalis ‘Tricolor’), Meadow Sage (S. praetensis), Scarlet Sage (S. splendens), Black and Blue Sage (S. guarantica), Texas Sage (S. coccinea), Woodland Sage (S. nemerosa )and Lyre Leaf Sage (S. lyrata). Unlike the other categories there are far too many ornamentals ages to cover each one in any detail. What I will talk about briefly are the most commonly available ones and that brings us to Black and Blue Salvia, which is a fine perennial named for its black stems, bluish foliage and deep blue flowers which hummingbirds and pollinators love. Then there is Texas sage to consider which is a fine herbaceous perennial that is best known by it’s most common cultivar ‘Coral Nymph’ and ‘Hot Lips’ both of which are stunning shades of pink.  The Purple, Golden and Tricolor sages are in the ornamental group because of their reduced flavor value compared to common sage. Despite the lack of flavor in this color trio they can make for some stunning borders when combined with lighter or darker companions who have contracting foliage texture. Perhaps the most common ornamental sage on the market is Woodland sage. Woodland sage is often seen in the racks at lowes as a ‘water wise’ plant and often has it’s qualities over-emphasized to the casual home owners who don’t know any better.

To cap off this discussion on sage I have to briefly discuss how to grow and care for sage. The basic rule of sage is to try and allow the roots to dry out between waterings as sage hates wet feet. Further more sage does not like prolonged periods of moisture and thus you must try not to keep its foliage wet. The soil it resides in should be reasonably enriched but also well draining and of course sage absolutely prefers a full sun location with good spacing between its neighbors for maximum airflow. Sage is largely pest free and only suffers from bacterial rot or leaf spots if kept too wet. One should harvest sage by snipping off individual leaves with as much stem attached to the leaf as is possible using a sharp scissor or knife and only take what you need. Since sage is slow growing you want to leave enough for the plant to recover. I can’t say that fertilizers seem to do much good with sage outside of the herbaceous types as a really good soil mix seems to outshine any fertilizer in the long term. This concludes LITFM’s look into the sage grouping and now, we move on to this week’s plant list.

Well considering that the weather has leveled out a bit you can expect it’ll be a good time over at the farmer’s market.  After all there is nothing better then blue skies and farm fresh produce in the summer time! This week I’ll have plenty of good info on the info table, copies of Southward skies and all kinds of cool plants. The market runs from 9:00 am through 1:00pm and is located at 325 Franklin Street. Feel free to come on down and peruse the market or even ask any garden questions you might have. The below is this week’s plant list.

Vegetables:

5x Burgundy Okra

4x Japanese Long Eggplant

4x Carolina Wonder Pepper (Sweet Red Bell)

4x Habenero Pepper (Hot!)

2x Tumbling Tom Tomato (Yellow Cherry)

6x Beefsteak Tomato (medium-large slicing)

Herbs:

8x Italian Parsley

2x Common Sage

1x Berggarten Sage

2x Hidcote Lavender

4x Cinnamon Basil

4x Sweet Basil

10x Egyptian Onion

Fruit & ground cover:

1x Galore Rose Strawberry

House Plants:

3x Pepromia verticilliata - Rotary Peperomia (house plant)

2x Sanseveria cylindrical – Spear Sanseveria (Houseplant)

-plus whatever else fits in the truck!-

With the herb of the week covered and the plant list posted this puts a cork in the bottle of another weekly episode of LITFM. Thank you all for reading and I hope to see all of you at the farmer's market on Saturday. If you have any questions about Sage or other Herbs (legal ones only please) feel free to stop on by and ask away. Next week we will be talking about common garden herbs in the Apiaceae family, oh believe me it's a trip you want to take! 

Remember folks keep 'em growing.