Rosemary is one of the hardiest of herbs, considered easy to grow and quite drought tolerant. A native of Asia and the area around the Mediterranean, rosemary is beloved by many for its piney fragrance that combines well with other strong flavors like garlic, lemon and onion. A little rosemary makes a big statement.
Janet Nutt of JanBil Farms/Country Cuttings in Cedartown was introduced to rosemary while visiting France. She was in Nice studying French and living with a family whose property featured a hedge of rosemary.
“It was blooming and I just fell in love,” Nutt said. Nutt is a flight attendant for Delta and, at the time, she was more into languages than gardening; so rosemary remained a fond remembrance of her trip.
Fast forward a few years and Nutt’s husband, Bill, retired to tend what she refers to as “his girlfriends,” a herd of cows. When encouraged to join him in tending the cows, Nutt opted to plant a garden and grow the materials she needs for her booth at the Marietta Square Farmers Market. The Marietta market is opening its spring/summer season this Saturday, and Sundays as well beginning with April 15.
Nutt sells mixed flower bouquets, flowers by the stem and herbs and vegetables for bouquets. For example, stalks of okra, fresh or dried, are often part of her mixed bouquets.
When a herb nursery in Cedartown went out of business, Nutt added herbs to her garden. They’re not the hedges she remembers so fondly from Nice, but they are big enough to supply stems of rosemary for her bouquets, and leaves for her to dry and store in glass jars.
Nutt does weddings and special events and often tucks a sprig of rosemary into wedding boutonnieres and corsages. That’s a nod to rosemary’s symbolism as the herb of remembrance.
Bill handles the culinary uses of rosemary.
“He uses it a lot with meats and it’s particularly good as a marinade for steaks,” she said.
Fresh rosemary will keep for at least two weeks in a glass of water on your counter. You can store it in the refrigerator where it will eventually dry out. In either case, once you’ve finished your fresh uses, strip any extra leaves off the stems and store them in your freezer. The next time you need a tablespoon of fresh rosemary, you’ll be able to pull from your frozen stock of leaves.
And don’t discard the stems. They make flavorful skewers for grilled seafood and small cubes of meat.
At local farmers markets
Cooking demos start up again this week:
9:30 a.m. Saturday, April 7. Chef Ron Eyester, Rosebud. Morningside Farmers Market, Atlanta. www.morningsidemarket.com
10 a.m. Saturday, April 14. Chef Chris Hall, Local Three. Peachtree Road Farmers Market, Atlanta. www.peachtreeroadfarmersmarket.com
6 p.m. Thursday, April 19. Chef Seth Freedman, Ruby Root Connections. East Atlanta Village Farmer's Market, Atlanta. www.farmeav.com
11:30 a.m. Sunday, April 29. Chef Todd Richards. Grant Park Farmers Market, Atlanta. www.grantparkmarket.org
For sale
Vegetables: arugula, Asian greens, asparagus, beets, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, carrots, chard, collards, dandelion, endive, escarole, frisée, green garlic, herbs, kale, leeks, lettuce, onions, oyster mushrooms, pea tendrils, radishes, sweet potatoes, turnips
From local reports
Tobia's Mother's Rosemary Cake
Hands on: 10 minutes Total time: 1 hour Serves: 12
Atlanta artist Penelope Smith learned this recipe in Italy about 35 years ago. “It’s a classic example of the kind of cake best served with a glass of vin santo.” English-born Smith says it’s also good with English marmalade, tea and sympathy. Not too sweet, not too savory, it’s a lovely quick bread.
4 eggs
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup pure olive oil
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh rosemary
1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Lightly grease a 5-by-9-inch loaf pan.
In a medium bowl, use a hand mixer and beat eggs on high speed for 1 minute. Add sugar and continue beating until mixture is very foamy and pale in color, about 2 minutes. Using a whisk, drizzle in olive oil and rosemary.
In another bowl, stir together flour, baking powder and salt. Add flour mixture to egg mixture and whisk together just until smooth. Pour this into the prepared loaf pan. Bake until cake is golden brown and springs back when pressed in the center, about 50 minutes. Do not overbake. Cool cake on a wire rack and serve at room temperature.
Adapted from a recipe provided by Penelope Smith.
Per serving: 237 calories (percent of calories from fat, 52), 4 grams protein, 25 grams carbohydrates, trace fiber, 14 grams fat (2 grams saturated), 71 milligrams cholesterol, 224 milligrams sodium.
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