i’ve always had a hard time thinking of plants as anything but pets. the bamboo plant i had for all of college not only had a name, but had a place of honor right next to my beta fish.
at least this time, i know what i bought!
isn’t it a beautiful rosemary plant? when i saw it at the grocery store, i couldn’t resist. one of the most difficult things about only cooking for two people is the waste of fresh herbs. i like to use them, i love the way they smell, but they go bad so quickly! and i only need, generally, about 1/3 of them for any given recipe, so i go through a lot of herbs.
why i didn’t think of it earlier, i’m not sure.
now i just have to figure out how to keep it alive. i poked around online and established that i should only water it when it’s completely dry. but nobody had any good tips on clipping it — should i take from the top or the bottom? from the stem, or just the leaves? how long will it take to regrow sections? nobody’s telling. it’s my very first live herb plant, so understandably i’m a bit nervous about it.
here’s hoping that rosemary (not very original, but oh so appropriate) hangs around long enough for me to perfect my technique!
Suzy's Not a Homemaker 
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February 4, 2007 at 12:35 pm
Charlie
According to my gardening husband, it doesn’t matter where you cut the rosemary as long as you don’t actually cut the whole plant. I’ve always just cut sprigs and took the leaves off from there.
BTW, have you seen the Iron Chef America with fennel as the secret ingredient? We caught a rerun of that ep last night, and I thought of you. (I’ve never cooked with it, except using the fronds on fish instead of using dill, so I had no good recipes to offer.)
February 4, 2007 at 6:48 pm
Suzy
thanks for the tip! and you know, i haven’t seen that episode of iron chef — i’ll have to look it up online.
best,
suzy
February 5, 2007 at 11:40 am
Kristen
I have asked my hubby for an herb garden for Valentine’s day. I use fresh herbs all the time. They are so expensive to purchase at the store. I’m a little intimidated to start the whole process because I do not have a green thumb. Hopefully it will be a successful adventure for both of us 🙂
February 6, 2007 at 7:44 am
Suzy
that’s great kristen! i’m going to start with one and see how it goes — i’ll definitely keep you posted. make sure you let us know about yours!
best,
suzy