Choose Rosemary for Remembrance

I like rosemary. It smells clean and refreshing to me. When I lived in California I saw it used frequently as a hedge, or as an indestructible shrub around business parks. I often used it as a base for wreaths because it dried beautifully and was easy to find.

Since moving to Kentucky, I keep my rosemary bushes indoors during the winter months and move them onto the deck in May (on Derby day). Because of the low winter temperatures, it's not abundant here, so I've switched to sage and other herbs for wreaths, but rosemary is still a good friend.

I'm a lover of lamb and eggplant, so my fresh rosemary comes in handy. I also like to dry the stems as an aromatic for summer grilling and smoking.

Rosemary for Remembrance

I mention it today because of its association as the herb of remembrance. The famous line from Shakespeare's Hamlet: "There's rosemary, that's for remembrance;", and it's inclusion as a memory enhancer in medical journals dating from the 1600s gives it a poignant significance to me on this the eve of the new year.

While looking around for references to rosemary, I found an article on rosemary and Alzheimer's disease that you might find interesting: Rosemary, The Herb of Remembrance for Alzheimer's Disease, but if you look, you'll find research on the connection in many locations on the web.

I have written an article on rosemary with information on growing, propagating and using this amazing herb: The Herb Rosemary and offered other thoughts here: Understanding Rosemary