Rosemary Plants in Monterey County California Herald Spring by Ruth Paget
Spring is here at the Trader Joe’s in Marina, California. I love going to this Trader Joe’s for its display of potted flowers and cooking herbs outside the store for sale.
Amidst the basil plants, tulips, leftover Easter lilies, fuchsia plants, and cactus plants on sale, I saw an organic potted rosemary plant and immediately wanted to purchase it for its $2.49 sale price. The potted rosemary plant for $2.49 had about 12 sturdy branches with full foliage on it.
The $2.49 price seemed a lot less expensive than buying 3 or 4 branches in a plastic container inside the store.
The rosemary plant was purchased for its great price value and kitchen décor value for spring. Rosemary is a strong-flavored herb so the plant with 12 branches can provide enough flavor for at least 12 meals, if you keep the plant watered.
I use a branch of rosemary in dishes like the following:
-ratatouille vegetable stew from southern France (along with thyme)
-roast chicken (placed in the chicken cavity along with onion quarters, garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, and lemon rinds. If I cannot get organic lemons, I omit the lemon rinds.)
-boiled rice (I add rosemary to the rice cooker along with olive oil, lemon juice and sometimes garlic)
I love rosemary’s citrusy and peppery flavor, but its nutrient profile is important too as it contains antioxidants and anti-inflammatory compounds.
Antioxidants remove free radicals, which may cause cancer from the body. Anti-inflammatories fight diabetes, heart disease, and cognitive decline according to Harvard Health Publishing – a link to their website on this topic follows:
https://www.health.harvard.edu/healthy-aging-and-longevity/foods-that-fight-inflammation
For people with a sunny space to grow plants, growing and selling rosemary might be a way to make some extra income. Monterey County has sites to sell cooking herbs from hardware stores to farmers’ markets to Trader Joe’s. If you would like to find out about growing rosemary for profit, ask a store manager about who to contact for organic certification and/or distribution.
I have linked to Getty Images below for photos of rosemary in its branch and plant forms:
https://www.gettyimages.com/search/2/image?phrase=rosemary
A rosemary plant brings good value for $2.49. Even if the plant dies, you still spend about .21 cents per branch used on a 12-branch plant. The citrus and pepper flavor perks up even bland rice and has several health benefits.
Young families can certainly benefit from the cost savings of buying a potted rosemary plant. The plants are also cute and watering them is a daily biology lesson for young children.
Happy Gardening!
By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France and developer of the Novgorod and Bento War Games
