PLANT IT
Herb sturdy enough for meat on a stick
October 17, 2009
Sonia Day
SPECIAL TO THE STAR
Barbecue Rosemary Rosmarinus
Here's a new kind of rosemary that you can actually use as skewers for kebabs. I did this past summer – with gratifying results.
The aromatic snippings imparted a wonderful (yet not overpowering) taste to chunks of chicken grilled on the barbecue.
But don't try it with regular rosemary. That tends to be a sprawly herb, with stems that make more twists and turns than a footpath through High Park. The trick is to use this stuff.
New on the market, barbecue rosemary has unusually straight stems that can reach an amazing 1.5 metres high. Mine didn't manage that during our past soggy summer, yet its stems still grew sufficiently tall and sturdy to cut into longish sticks. I trimmed most of the leaves off these sticks and poked them through the pieces of meat. They smelled delicious while cooking.
And now that summer's over, what to do with my new rosemary plant? It's a common problem. Herb expert Conrad Richter receives more queries about this than just about anything else. So here's his advice:
Don't leave a potted rosemary plant outside. Native to the Mediterranean, it will die over the winter. Instead, move the pot right now to a location that's half as sunny as where it was during the summer. Then move again a week later to an even shadier spot. This helps rosemary adjust to reduced winter lighting. After that, give the whole thing a drastic haircut and bring it indoors to a cool room.
I find coolness much more important than the amount of light. I also keep my pot quite dry – so the plant just sits there, half asleep, until spring comes.
And if you want to do the barbecue bit (which is fun), Richters sells this hot new variety. But they're likely sold out till next year.
Call 1-800-668-4372 or visit www.richters.com.
www.soniaday.com
Toronto Star