Making the Most of Rosemary in the Kitchen

If you're growing your own rosemary in or around your home, there's no particular time to collect your harvest. Simply cut off what you need with sharp shears, making sure to leave most of the plant intact.

There's no special way to cut the sprigs, either. As long as you leave the crown alone, your plant will continue to produce. Keep in mind that younger sprigs are more flavorful than mature stalks.

Freezing rosemary leaves is a breeze. Just toss them in a bag, remove the air, and seal it up. Making them into ice cubes works well for an effortless flavoring for soups and more.

If you want to save whole stalks, this requires an extra step so they don't all stick together. Freeze the sprigs on a baking pan for an hour or two, then transfer them into a bag, remove the air, and return to the freezer.

Drying rosemary is a fantastic option for long-term use. Clean the sprigs and let the water completely dry. Then set them on a rack or hang inverted bunches from the ceiling. Once the stalks are hard to the touch, you can take the leaves off and store them in an airtight container.

A faster drying method involves using a food dehydrator or an oven. Remember to program both on their lowest setting, and check on the drying progress often. This requires a bit of trial and error until you get it right, but it's a nice space and time saver.

Rosemary has a huge number of kitchen pairings. For meats, it goes best with pork, steak, lamb, game, and poultry. It also works especially well with oily fish.

Casseroles, soups, and stews also benefit from a bit of rosemary flavor. Potatoes, onions, tomatoes, garlic, mushrooms, and spinach pair well, too.

Whether used as an ingredient, a dash to top it off, or as part of a dressing, rosemary will take your salads to a whole new taste tier. The savory herb makes an amazing vinaigrette to top fruits or vegetables, and it goes well with tomato and potato salad recipes.

Make ordinary bread extraordinary by adding some rosemary zing. Mix rosemary with butter for a delectable spread. Drizzle oil over a loaf then sprinkle rosemary on top.

But don't limit yourself to merely dressing up your bread. Add rosemary to your dough for a kick of savory flavor and texture. A rosemary-infused olive oil for dipping is a wonderful way to incorporate some Mediterranean flair into an appetizer.

Rosemary mixes nicely with citrus fruits. Mix some of the herb into lemon or lime-based beverages to launch that flavor to a new level.

Steep several sprigs of rosemary in a pot of hot water. After 30 minutes, strain the tea and add lemon or lime juice, cold water or ice, and sugar, adjusted to suit your individual preference.

Add simmering oil to a jar of rosemary for a delicious infusion. Incorporate the leaves into a bowl of salt and let the mixture sit for a few weeks.

Honey and simple syrup infusions work well, too. Simmer the honey or sugar water and steep several rosemary sprigs for a few minutes, then remove the herb and cool.

Don't throw out your rosemary stems once you've cleaned off the leaves. Using them as a flavor enhancer is a wonderful way to get the most from your yield.

Kabobs are a simple and easy option. Instead of using metal or wooden sticks, skewer your meats and veggies onto rosemary stems.

The kitchen is often the most tempting residence for pests. Rosemary is a wonderful deterrent; just mix ten rosemary essential oil drops with one cup of water for a great bug spray. Also, keeping sprigs on your windows and in cabinets will keep mice away from these areas.