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Rosemary: She's Not Bad, She's Just Grown That Way | Ep. 3
Episode 3 • 19th August 2026 • Plant to Plate • Alyson Phillips & Amber Hanson
00:00:00 00:32:38

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Welcome back to Plant to Plate! In this episode, Amber (your resident nutritionist) and Alyson (your go-to gardener) give the spotlight to the ultimate herb garden diva: Rosemary.

Channeling her inner Miss Piggy or maybe Jessica Rabbit, rosemary can be a bit dramatic to grow, but she's well worth the attitude!

What We’re Digging Into:

  • Growing 101: How to pamper your rosemary and keep this garden diva happy.
  • Profiles & Varieties: Exploring the different types of rosemary and their unique uses.
  • Harvest to Table: Delicious ways to harvest, cook, and eat your crop.
  • Save It & Share It: Simple tips for preserving, gifting, and infusing flavor for later.

Links & Resources Mentioned:

Love the vibe?

If you enjoyed our chat, we’d love for you to stick around!

📚 Books to Reference:

  • Freeze Fresh: The Ultimate Guide to Preserving 55 Fruits and Vegetables by Crystal Schmidt
  • Rosemary Gladstar's Medicinal Herbs: A Beginner's Guide by Rosemary Gladstar
  • Herbal Recipes for Vibrant Health by Rosemary Gladstar
  • Culinary Herbs – Grow. Preserve. Cook! by Yvonne Tremblay

Transcripts

Speaker:

squadcaster-0e16_1_07-07-2026_140546:

Welcome to Plant to Plate,

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the podcast that shares a love

of growing and eating food.

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This season, we're exploring herbs.

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I'm Allison, the garden

consultant, designer, and

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educator behind Sassy Daffodil

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amber_1_07-07-2026_140547: And

I'm Amber, a licensed nutritionist

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and founder of Whole You Nutrition

and Meal Planning Collective.

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today's episode, we are exploring rosemary

in kind of the usual ways that we've

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been exploring herbs, so varieties,

potential health benefits, how to grow it,

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what it tastes like, and how to use it.

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And as per usual with these herb episodes,

let's start with rosemary's personality.

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Allison, how would you describe rosemary?

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squadcaster-0e16_1_07-07-2026_140546:

Oh, rosemary, she's a slight diva,

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but she's worth the effort, right?

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I think that if she were a human, we

kind of humanize them or animalize

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them as we did like with mint.

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I imagine that she wears a boa and

large sunglasses, and we swoon over

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her and over her intoxicating aroma.

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amber_1_07-07-2026_140547: Okay, I

love this, and when you described

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that, the immediate image that

came to mind is Miss Piggy.

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squadcaster-0e16_1_07-07-2026_140546:

What?

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Okay, I

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amber_1_07-07-2026_140547: Not the

intoxicating aroma part, like that

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was the part where I'm like, "I don't

know, does she smell like bacon?"

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squadcaster-0e16_1_07-07-2026_140546: Yum.

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amber_1_07-07-2026_140547: the bo-

like the boa and the sunglasses and

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squadcaster-0e16_1_07-07-2026_140546: Oh

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amber_1_07-07-2026_140547:

the like full diva like thing.

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squadcaster-0e16_1_07-07-2026_140546:

Interesting.

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I, I was curious if you were gonna…

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'Cause in my mind I was thinking, this

is why I had such a, a reaction to yours.

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I was thinking Jessica Rabbit.

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amber_1_07-07-2026_140547: I mean,

they're different, but similar in ways?

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squadcaster-0e16_1_07-07-2026_140546: I

mean, diva, diva is a spectrum, right?

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amber_1_07-07-2026_140547: Yes.

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Also, Jessica Rabbit, she's not

bad, she's just drawn that way.

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squadcaster-0e16_1_07-07-2026_140546: Both

fake characters, which is interesting, so

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amber_1_07-07-2026_140547: Yeah.

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I mean, best to keep it fictional, right?

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squadcaster-0e16_1_07-07-2026_140546:

Sure.

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Yes.

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amber_1_07-07-2026_140547: Okay,

so with mint and basil, we talked

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about a bunch of different varieties.

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there were so many things

in the mint family.

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What was it up to, like 600 different

types of mint-related things,

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depending on how you count it?

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And with basil, there were a bunch

of different varieties as well.

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I don't know if I have seen any

specific varieties of rosemary.

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Are there different varieties

that we should know about?

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Or do we just kind of get rosemary

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squadcaster-0e16_1_07-07-2026_140546:

Unlike basil and mint, I feel like

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rosemary, as its little diva self,

wants you to bask in herself and bask

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in her glory without any additional

flavor or aroma distractions.

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so the main note that I'll make here

is that if y- you want to grow it for

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culinary purposes or herbal use, make sure

that you are getting a culinary version.

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some regions warmer than Minnesota, can

actually grow rosemary, and it can be

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sold as an ornamental for landscaping use.

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And those plants can be treated

with systemic insecticides, also

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known as neonics or neonicotinoids,

or synthetic fert- fertilizers.

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So just know that those things can be

on some of the rosemary, so look for

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the word culinary or ask about it,

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'Cause those really aren't

suitable for consumption

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amber_1_07-07-2026_140547: Are the

neonics, I feel like, is that the

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thing that you hear about that's not

pollinator friendly that can make some

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plants that you buy at the nursery not

as great for our insects and wildlife?

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squadcaster-0e16_1_07-07-2026_140546:

Correct.

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Thank you so much, Amber.

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And I would've loved if you would've

said the whole word, but it's okay.

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We'll call…

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amber_1_07-07-2026_140547: I appreciate

you giving me the shortened version.

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squadcaster-0e16_1_07-07-2026_140546:

Neonics, yeah.

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neonics really, they are

systemic in that they will stay

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in the plant forever and ever.

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So it goes down into its roots, and then

when it creates seeds, it's in the seeds.

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So it just proliferates through not

just that plant's life, but through

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all the plants that came from it.

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And so it is a concern, and it is

intended to, keep in- insects away, it,

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or in some cases actually kill them.

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So a, a systemic insecticide means that

it is in the plant forever and ever

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amber_1_07-07-2026_140547: I

didn't realize that it would

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even get into the seeds.

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That's, wow, crazy.

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that's one of those moments where

it's like both kinda cool that we

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could figure something out like that,

and is this really where we needed

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to use that kind of information?

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I don't think we need

to mess with the plants.

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They're pretty smart without us.

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squadcaster-0e16_1_07-07-2026_140546:

it was, done for agricultural purposes,

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and now I think we see the other

side, and so backtracking is tough.

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it's really just about education.

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there may be appropriate places for it,

and if you have tunnels or different

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things that you're covering the plants

with that the insects are gonna be

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on anyway, I guess then in that case

you wouldn't need the insecticides.

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So there are alternatives, but anyway.

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We don't have to have the

whole episode be about neonics.

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amber_1_07-07-2026_140547: Okay, so we

know we're looking for a culinary use

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grade if we're going to be eating it I'm

guessing most nurseries that is pretty

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clearly marked, if you're buying it in

the section with all the other herbs,

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it's pretty safe to assume that it is

a culinary grade herb, and if you're

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buying it with the shrubs, perhaps not.

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how do we grow and care for

rosemary, particularly, one that

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we're using for culinary use?

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squadcaster-0e16_1_07-07-2026_140546:

Exactly.

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she's a bit particular to,

live up to her diva sake.

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especially when getting started.

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So she does take a very

long time from seed.

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I do recommend buy a seedling if

you're, if you're impatient or if

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you actually just want rosemary.

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farmers markets, co-ops,

that's, those are CSAs.

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Those are all places that, I would

definitely recommend, going as

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local as possible, if you aren't

actually going to grow it yourself.

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Rosemary loves her sun.

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She wants to bask in the sun six plus

hours is best, and she likes her heat.

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there is a reason that rosemary is a

full landscaping shrub in the South.

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She likes her heat.

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She likes her sun.

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amber_1_07-07-2026_140547: If we were

gonna do a personality quiz based

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on that alone, I am not Rosemary.

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squadcaster-0e16_1_07-07-2026_140546:

I agree.

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You and I are both pale-skinned northern

girls, so this is where when people ask

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if something is an annual or a perennial,

does it come back, in this case, we

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call it a tender perennial, meaning it

will survive in warmer climates, but in

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Minnesota it's not going to come back

if you leave it outside in the winter.

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the warmer climates is, I'm

talking like zone 7 up to 10.

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That would be, your Arizonas

and places like that.

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Here in Minnesota, we either treat it

like an annual or we have to bring it

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indoors, and it, it still wants its sun.

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Even if it is gonna go dormant,

you, you wanna have some sun, for

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the kind of the shoulder seasons.

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And if you don't wanna bring the

whole plant in, here's the, the good

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thing about, rosemary, and something

that she gives us, she gives us

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back, is that you can take a sprig

of the rosemary and put it in water.

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Are you noticing a pattern with herbs?

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amber_1_07-07-2026_140547: I really am.

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They want to be shared

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squadcaster-0e16_1_07-07-2026_140546:

Yeah.

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Yeah.

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amber_1_07-07-2026_140547:

message I'm taking away from it.

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All the herbs want to be shared

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squadcaster-0e16_1_07-07-2026_140546:

And they, they are cool sitting in

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water, and in a lot of cases are

gonna develop roots in water, and

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so that's what rosemary will do.

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I have done that over winter.

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And so even though you

only end up with a…

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It's not going to grow a whole bush

inside your house, but it gives you

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something that you don't have to

buy the following year if you do

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keep it alive through the winter.

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just remove the bottom leaves.

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You don't want any of

those leaves in the water.

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That's what can create bacteria.

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And you do wanna change the water on a

somewhat frequent basis, every few weeks.

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keep it in a window.

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And there, if your house is really dry,

I mean, Minnesota tends to be pretty

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dry in the winter, and other places it

are, is as well, you give it a spa day.

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It would love to spend the, while you're

taking a hot shower, it would love to

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spend some time in the bathroom and

then come out, or you can spritz it,

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with a little spray bottle or whatever.

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Like any houseplant actually, they do like

to have just a little bit of a spritz of

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water in the wintertime if you don't have

a humidifier or something like that going.

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those are some ways to, to help it get

through the winter if you wanna do that.

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amber_1_07-07-2026_140547: I think

that's always been my downfall bringing

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rosemary in, is that my house is just

too dry and I'm not attentive enough

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with the, the spritzing and humidifying

factors during the dry winter days.

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but speaking of spa days, so and, some

other herbs, we talked a little bit about

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this last week, with mint and calendula.

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But rosemary's often featured in, personal

care products, and one of the ones

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particularly for rosemary that comes to

mind is Aveda's famous, infamous, I don't

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know, rosemary mint shampoos and lotions.

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And so I, I did a little research into

rosemary and hair because, you know,

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Aveda's all about nature, and I assumed

there was a reason that they were picking

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this formulation of rosemary and mint.

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part of it is for sure, as we've

mentioned before, that one of the

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benefits of most herbs, and most plants

honestly, is that they have antioxidant

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and anti-inflammatory compounds.

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these things can be soothing on the skin.

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We talked about the basil poultice for

mosquito bites, which I got a few hiking

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this weekend, but I still have not

tried putting a basil poultice on them.

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and we talked about the salve

last week, being a very nice

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way to kind of soothe skin.

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Now, with rosemary, it does have those

antioxidant and anti-inflammatory

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compounds, but I wouldn't recommend

chopping up fresh ro- rosemary

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and throwing it into your shampoo.

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there is this process, and even when

we were talking about salves last week,

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like, there's a process on how you make

these things to keep them safe, both to

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maintain those active constituents that

help, with the benefit of whatever we're

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trying to bring into the product, and

also just keep it from getting moldy.

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squadcaster-0e16_1_07-07-2026_140546: Yeah

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amber_1_07-07-2026_140547:

plant bits floating around.

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I found really interesting about

rosemary, so not only does it have

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this, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory,

which can be just soothing to the scalp.

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One of the active constituents

is actually similar to what

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is used in hair loss products.

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So there is some indication that

one of the active constituents

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can stimulate hair growth as well.

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So I just thought that

was really interesting.

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I don't know that rosemary mint shampoo

is going to help you grow back hair,

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but I don't think it's gonna hurt

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squadcaster-0e16_1_07-07-2026_140546:

there are definitely recipes out

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there for rosemary hair rinses,

so that you can actually just

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boil on your stove and use it.

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You go look that up, but we

don't have to give you all the

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details on something like that.

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But yes, there are some different things,

and the amount of rosemary and mint in the

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shampoos that you get may not be as much

as you would need for it to g- help regrow

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your hair, but it might smell nice, right?

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amber_1_07-07-2026_140547:

Yeah, I do think it's probably

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more of the aromatherapy

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squadcaster-0e16_1_07-07-2026_140546:

Mm-hmm.

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amber_1_07-07-2026_140547: of

things than it is necessarily

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all of those active constituents,

especially in a product like that.

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beyond personal care products,

rosemary, again, I don't know, have

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I said this every episode we've done,

can help support the nervous system.

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And again, that's like really what

aromatherapy is, these aromas,

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these smells, these compounds in the

plants are soothing to our nervous

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system, and there's a lot of ways

that we can get those benefits.

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We've talked about tea in

some previous episodes.

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And rosemary, I really do think

just the smell of it is one of the

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things that, can help with that

soothing of the nervous system.

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And the other thing that rosemary

is, renowned for is a memory aid,

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and this tradition goes back a ways.

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Like it's even mentioned in Shakespeare's

Hamlet, so it's not like a new,

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a new thing that's coming around.

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but there have been some small studies

related to rosemary and memory.

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Now, this was like 40 students.

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It was 10 to 11 year olds, and what

they found is, when they were given

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some memory test type activities to

do, that the students that were in

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the room with the, aroma of rosemary

improved their results by 5 to 7%.

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Now, I don't know if because 40 e- 11

year olds did 5% better on a memory

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test we should all be rushing out

and thinking that rosemary is, the

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thing that's going to save us all from

cognitive decline, but it is an area

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of interest because there's such an

increase in Alzheimer's and dementia.

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and this goes back to a long tradition

of herbal medicine, and we see that a

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lot of our pharmaceutical inventions

today started in the plant world, it's

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just really interesting to see that these

active plant constituents can help us in

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so many ways and actually form the basis

of like some of our modern medicine.

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So again, of course, consult your

doctor or a licensed herbalist in

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determining if an herbal treatment,

whether it's for regrowing your hair

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or helping with pain, right for you

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squadcaster-0e16_1_07-07-2026_140546:

That sounded like a commercial.

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amber_1_07-07-2026_140547: I know.

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squadcaster-0e16_1_07-07-2026_140546:

Like the,

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amber_1_07-07-2026_140547:

Here's the disclaimer at the end.

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squadcaster-0e16_1_07-07-2026_140546:

"Ask your doctor if If

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rosemary is right for you

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amber_1_07-07-2026_140547: Yes, and

I would be curious to hear what your

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doctor said if you're like, "I heard

rosemary might help with my hair loss."

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I don't think that's something that

they cover, extensively in medical

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school, but so switching gears.

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Allison, rosemary feels like

a very different plant in

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many ways to basil and mint.

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I just think of how it has this

like woodier stem and the leaves are

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needle-like compared to the like softer,

fluffier leaves of mint and basil.

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But is it that different?

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Like, do we harvest it differently?

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What are the How do we take care of it?

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squadcaster-0e16_1_07-07-2026_140546:

as with most plants, cutting

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frequently encourages bushing,

and for rosemary, pruning can help

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keep the stems from getting woody.

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most plants actually do benefit

from, cutting off some of the

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ends and, letting it regenerate.

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rosemary will generally only

flower in climate zones seven

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to 10, as I mentioned earlier.

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I didn't know it even flowered.

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but most plants have some

kind of flower cycle, right?

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So they can, reproduce and create their

seeds and, kinda keep the cycle going.

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amber_1_07-07-2026_140547: Yeah

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squadcaster-0e16_1_07-07-2026_140546:

But for those of us in colder zones,

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so zones two through six, we really

don't have to worry about it going to

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flower and going to seed, and having

that, either have a bunch of little

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volunteers coming up or have the flowering

affect the flavor, because it doesn't

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happen here, like it does with basil

and mint, during the summer months.

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Somehow, Amber, we haven't even

talked about flavor yet, right?

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amber_1_07-07-2026_140547: I

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squadcaster-0e16_1_07-07-2026_140546:

we get carried away, but it's,

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I think it's all good info.

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So why don't you tell us about

the flavor and how we might

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use rosemary in the kitchen

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amber_1_07-07-2026_140547: I'd mentioned

that rosemary, and I think most of our

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listeners are probably aware that rosemary

looks a little bit like pine needles.

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it has that very, slender

needle-like shape.

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and it does actually have a bit

of a piney flavor to it as well,

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like in the nicest possible way.

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there's sort of a hint of lemon in

there, so a little bit of citrus

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and a little bit of that conifer,

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piney type of flavor to it.

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And it's really found in a lot of

different European and Mediterranean

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or Middle Eastern culinary cuisines.

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I think one of the things that makes,

from like a cooking perspective, that

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makes rosemary different from mint and

basil is that it's a really hardy herb,

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so it holds up well to long cooking times.

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So we had talked more with mint

and basil about adding them

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towards the end to, maintain their

flavors and get that freshness.

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but rosemary's one that you often

see added at the start of something,

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and I think of it immediately as

like the meat and potato herb.

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I

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squadcaster-0e16_1_07-07-2026_140546:

Oh, yes

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amber_1_07-07-2026_140547: with

red meats and starchy potatoes.

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and those tend to cook for longer or

at higher heats, than preparations that

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would use things like basil or mint.

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So that's one of the uses that

immediately comes to mind.

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another one is the herb oil.

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listeners might recall that I talked

about herb oil, I think it was

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in our first episode with basil.

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and that my favorite combination

in an herb oil included basil,

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rosemary, parsley, and some garlic.

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So again, just mentioning it here.

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and I will put a link in our show notes

to my version of an herb oil, so if people

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are interested in making some and having

it at home, they can, they can find that

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on my website, wholeyounutrition.com.

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rosemary's also often part of

something like an Italian seasoning

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or, in the south of France, where

they do Herbs de Provence, which is

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a mix of different herbs, rosemary

is often found in one of those mixes.

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herb salts, as we've talked about

before, and I think rosemary works

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particularly well in herb salts because

it's a little heartier because, when

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cooking things like, red meats, I'm

thinking like beef and lamb, salt is

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a really great friend for bringing out

the flavors in those, so having this

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like rosemary and salt mixed together

to flavor those foods is really nice.

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:

squadcaster-0e16_1_07-07-2026_140546:

I like that because sometimes I just

319

:

take a sprig and I lay it on my steak or

something and I'm like, "Get in there.

320

:

Get…"

321

:

Make it really flavorful.

322

:

But yeah, having it as a salt,

'cause the salt definitely can

323

:

kind of penetrate the steak

324

:

amber_1_07-07-2026_140547: I've even

seen, people use particularly woody stems

325

:

of rosemary as a skewer, so sticking

them through, small pieces of meat or

326

:

shrimp or something like that, so you

kind of get that infusion of flavor

327

:

from the stem through the food as it's

cooking too, which is kind of cool.

328

:

Plus it can look cool to have this little,

herbal in your food rather than just

329

:

a typical, bamboo skewer or something.

330

:

another favorite of mine is

focaccia, so you know, delicious,

331

:

olive oily, salty bread.

332

:

But the flavor of rosemary is just a

really nice addition and pretty classic

333

:

in terms of, that Italian bread.

334

:

And then one, I think you

told me about this actually,

335

:

squadcaster-0e16_1_07-07-2026_140546: Yeah

336

:

amber_1_07-07-2026_140547: rosemary

along with pineapple to infuse water

337

:

squadcaster-0e16_1_07-07-2026_140546:

This was, I think it was a hotel,

338

:

like some hotel lobby that I

ha- I don't know where it was.

339

:

Somehow I had it, and I was like, "What?

340

:

This is the most unexpected

favorite infused water ever."

341

:

And so now I bring it up when people are

like, "Oh, let's do strawberry mint."

342

:

I'm like, "Oh, no, no, let's up our game."

343

:

amber_1_07-07-2026_140547:

We can do so much

344

:

squadcaster-0e16_1_07-07-2026_140546:

yeah, I mean, that's good, too, right?

345

:

But this is one that's unexpected,

and I just really love it.

346

:

And I'm … When you talked about

that hint of lemon, I'm like, "Oh,

347

:

I wonder if that's kind of playing

off of the sweet pineapple."

348

:

I really enjoy it, so I encourage

everybody to try that in the summer.

349

:

And I … The other thing with that,

and you mentioned focaccia, I have

350

:

always gravitated towards the rosemary

crackers or sourdough or focaccia.

351

:

So have you ever made any

of those from scratch?

352

:

amber_1_07-07-2026_140547: I've definitely

done a, rosemary focaccia bread at

353

:

squadcaster-0e16_1_07-07-2026_140546: Yum.

354

:

Mm-hmm.

355

:

amber_1_07-07-2026_140547: love, love.

356

:

love.

357

:

I haven't put it in my sourdough,

which I make sourdough bread pretty

358

:

regularly, so I think my plant

is still pretty small this year.

359

:

It was transplanted from in my house,

after an unhappy winter, there was enough

360

:

left to get outside, and it's surviving,

but it is not currently thriving.

361

:

So we'll see if I get enough to

actually do some bread or if I

362

:

might have to swing by a farmers

market and pick up some extra.

363

:

squadcaster-0e16_1_07-07-2026_140546:

Well, I will say that I have two

364

:

plants that I started from seed,

like back in February, March, and

365

:

they're still pretty small too.

366

:

I clipped off the tops to

make them bushier, but they're

367

:

still the size of my fist.

368

:

You know, they're not, they're not

a shrub from Arizona by any chance.

369

:

But,

370

:

amber_1_07-07-2026_140547: Yeah

371

:

squadcaster-0e16_1_07-07-2026_140546:

they, you know, they, they

372

:

will really grow in the sun.

373

:

And as an example right now,

we've been getting a lot of rain

374

:

and a lot of heat, but the sun…

375

:

Well, I- I'll clarify that I think my

tomatoes have also like grown like crazy

376

:

and actually shaded out my rosemary.

377

:

So sometimes we plant them in a

spot that we think is gonna be

378

:

sunny, and then something grows

and it's not sunny any longer.

379

:

So that could be part of it.

380

:

amber_1_07-07-2026_140547: Yeah.

381

:

I have noticed with the rain and

the heat, a lot of plants in my

382

:

garden are exploding in size.

383

:

squadcaster-0e16_1_07-07-2026_140546: Yes.

384

:

amber_1_07-07-2026_140547: much,

harvesting and even, any of, the fruiting

385

:

is still pretty minimal in terms of

plants, but they are to three times

386

:

bigger than they were about a week ago.

387

:

I don't know how they grow so quickly.

388

:

squadcaster-0e16_1_07-07-2026_140546:

I, it, so rain is such an

389

:

amazing nutrient for plants.

390

:

sometimes we think, "Oh, we're

gonna water them," and it's the

391

:

same as rain, but it is not.

392

:

It, I mean, you're essentially getting

fertilizer, through the rain, and it

393

:

is much better than your hose water.

394

:

so that's the nice thing right

now, but obviously sometimes

395

:

we have to supplement, so

396

:

amber_1_07-07-2026_140547: Yes,

I'm always happy when it rains.

397

:

Um, that is a Garbage song, I believe.

398

:

Uh, but

399

:

I was

400

:

squadcaster-0e16_1_07-07-2026_140546:

Quality song by Garbage.

401

:

amber_1_07-07-2026_140547: sound

familiar as I'm saying it?"

402

:

squadcaster-0e16_1_07-07-2026_140546:

I'm only happy,

403

:

amber_1_07-07-2026_140547: yes,

404

:

squadcaster-0e16_1_07-07-2026_140546:

only happy when it rains.

405

:

amber_1_07-07-2026_140547: correct.

406

:

Only Happy When It Rains.

407

:

Um, m- my plants might be only happy

when it rains because by about the

408

:

midsummer, I'm less happy about going

out and watering them with the hose.

409

:

So it's better for everyone

410

:

squadcaster-0e16_1_07-07-2026_140546: Yeah

411

:

amber_1_07-07-2026_140547:

if, if the rain can happen.

412

:

okay, so we've talked about a few ways to

use it, you know, meat and potatoes, bread

413

:

and crackers, rosemary pineapple water.

414

:

I think those are the highlights.

415

:

squadcaster-0e16_1_07-07-2026_140546: Yeah

416

:

amber_1_07-07-2026_140547:

but how can we preserve it?

417

:

How can we make it last longer

so if we're not going to be able

418

:

squadcaster-0e16_1_07-07-2026_140546: Yeah

419

:

amber_1_07-07-2026_140547: use

everything, that we're growing,

420

:

how can I use it in, January?

421

:

squadcaster-0e16_1_07-07-2026_140546:

again, kind of the similar, drying

422

:

it is really, tying it up in bunches

and letting it hang to dry, and then

423

:

stripping the leaves off and mince that.

424

:

store it in a container and label it.

425

:

amber_1_07-07-2026_140547: Table

426

:

squadcaster-0e16_1_07-07-2026_140546: Uh,

427

:

amber_1_07-07-2026_140547: it.

428

:

squadcaster-0e16_1_07-07-2026_140546: so

you've heard- you keep hearing that one.

429

:

Repetition is important in this game.

430

:

but f- freezing it, so we talked about

kinda how to freeze things in ice cubes

431

:

or, in ice cube trays with olive oil.

432

:

So the thing with rosemary is you

can act- you can freeze it in the

433

:

ice cube trays with olive oil like

you do with basil, but you can also

434

:

freeze rosemary without the oil.

435

:

So especially if you feel like, "Oh,

that's more oil than I would've used

436

:

in my pasta sauce," or whatever.

437

:

So here's what I love, is that you can

freeze it on a tray or something a- after

438

:

it's minced up, and you can essentially

pinch it out of the freezer container,

439

:

or you can get a tablespoon of it or

something, and it's going to spread like

440

:

a bunch of little pieces of rosemary.

441

:

The thing is, you wanna make

sure it goes straight back in

442

:

the freezer because it will thaw.

443

:

And then when it thaws and then

you put it back in the freezer, now

444

:

you're gonna have one big chunk,

445

:

amber_1_07-07-2026_140547: Oh, sure

446

:

squadcaster-0e16_1_07-07-2026_140546:

right.

447

:

Well, actually most herbs you can do

that with except for basil, because

448

:

basil has its own little concerns about

getting too cold and getting bruises

449

:

and black and f- freezer burn, whatever.

450

:

So

451

:

amber_1_07-07-2026_140547: A,

a little diva in its own way.

452

:

squadcaster-0e16_1_07-07-2026_140546: yes.

453

:

It's a fun different way.

454

:

And so if you were to harvest it from

your garden today and decided to rinse

455

:

it for whatever reason, you don't have

to, but obviously if, a bird pooped

456

:

on it or something, you might want to.

457

:

but then you just wanna make sure

you are towel-drying it before you

458

:

mince it up and put it in the freezer.

459

:

It's not a big problem, it's just gonna

end up that you're gonna get a big chunk

460

:

because if there's any little bit of

water that's what will freeze together.

461

:

But you don't have to dry it, dry it.

462

:

I want to be clear that towel dry

versus truly drying over weeks hung up.

463

:

You don't have to dry it that

much to put it in the freezer

464

:

amber_1_07-07-2026_140547: Okay,

I'm really excited to try freezing

465

:

rosemary this way because I feel

like it's sometimes tricky when

466

:

it's dry because it can be so hard.

467

:

I'll talk a little bit

more about that later.

468

:

But I'm, I feel like it would be

more similar to fresh rosemary

469

:

frozen from fresh versus drying.

470

:

I

471

:

squadcaster-0e16_1_07-07-2026_140546:

Yeah.

472

:

And also feels like you're cooking

with something more fresh when

473

:

you get to pinch it and, you know,

put it in your sauce or whatever.

474

:

amber_1_07-07-2026_140547:

Yeah, I love that

475

:

squadcaster-0e16_1_07-07-2026_140546:

so one, you talked about oils,

476

:

but I also think that, vinegar is

another way that we can preserve it.

477

:

so really for most herbal vinegars,

you're gonna take one part herbs to two

478

:

parts vinegar, and you can use any kind

of vinegar that you prefer, whether

479

:

it's apple cider or white or white

wine vinegar, those kind of things.

480

:

you could steep one cup of minced

rosemary leaves in two cups of white

481

:

wine vinegar for two to four weeks.

482

:

And then, you can reduce

that if you do heat.

483

:

This is where you wanna Google things and

make sure you're getting a safe recipe.

484

:

But filter out the herbs and then use-

pour the vinegar into your clean bottle

485

:

that doesn't have a metal lid, 'cause that

will react with the vinegar, and voila,

486

:

amber_1_07-07-2026_140547: Good

487

:

squadcaster-0e16_1_07-07-2026_140546:

you have a nice little, vinegar.

488

:

amber_1_07-07-2026_140547: I'm guessing

herb vinegar would make a really great

489

:

gift, and I'm also guessing you have

some other ways that we could share

490

:

rosemary with friends and loved ones

491

:

squadcaster-0e16_1_07-07-2026_140546:

Of course, crafty Allison has

492

:

some different things for you.

493

:

amber_1_07-07-2026_140547: I love it

494

:

squadcaster-0e16_1_07-07-2026_140546: I…

495

:

This, to me, is like a Christmas

holiday, memory, right?

496

:

Let's go with that.

497

:

So I love saving and drying the

whole stems and keeping the leaves

498

:

on them, and then wrapping gifts

in brown paper and a fun ribbon or

499

:

something with, the sprigs of rosemary.

500

:

if you wanna just leave it or if you

wanna, hot glue it with some other

501

:

things, you can do those things as well.

502

:

But I will say try this.

503

:

If you dry the rosemary, you can

put it into holiday simmer pot kits.

504

:

So if you had a jar, then you can

combine the rosemary with dried oranges,

505

:

cranberries, cinnamon sticks, even the

star anise that we've talked in the past.

506

:

you can make some different combos, and

then they can have it as a holiday simmer

507

:

pot, that you've already made for them.

508

:

Or really, if you're like me and you

absolutely love her aroma, you can make a

509

:

simple drawer s- sachet with some rosemary

in it, and then you'll get a brain boost

510

:

every time you reach for your socks.

511

:

amber_1_07-07-2026_140547: Okay, that

is such a great idea, and I think it

512

:

would be great on its own or mixed

with the maybe slightly more common

513

:

lavender, that's used for a drawer sachet.

514

:

squadcaster-0e16_1_07-07-2026_140546:

And get calming, calming effect

515

:

as well as the memory release.

516

:

amber_1_07-07-2026_140547:

I'm smarter and calmer?

517

:

Yes, please.

518

:

I

519

:

squadcaster-0e16_1_07-07-2026_140546:

Yay, herbs.

520

:

amber_1_07-07-2026_140547:

know, seriously.

521

:

And I do agree that rosemary, because

of that, pine needle-like look to it,

522

:

totally gives off, winter holiday vibes.

523

:

I've always loved seeing it tied up on

packages or even turned into, wreaths

524

:

decorated with, cheese and little

peppers as part of, a charcuterie board

525

:

to give it really, a holiday feel.

526

:

It's so fun.

527

:

but I'm going to start wrapping us up now.

528

:

I have a question.

529

:

rosemary is the herb of remembrance,

what is your single-- I love that

530

:

I say single, 'cause in my answer

I think I have, like, five answers.

531

:

But what is your single or few most

vivid memories associated with rosemary?

532

:

squadcaster-0e16_1_07-07-2026_140546:

This is a good question, and

533

:

thank goodness I remember it.

534

:

yes, we make ourselves laugh, folks.

535

:

most of my life I've spent in the

northern states in cold climates.

536

:

but many years ago, I went a r- on a

retreat in Arizona, and I was walking

537

:

around the buildings, and I was in

awe of how lovely it smelled outside,

538

:

and I kept leaning down and smelling

these large flowering shrubs and

539

:

rubbing my fingers on the leaves.

540

:

And finally, this li- this

little northern girl goes up and

541

:

asks, one of the guest services.

542

:

I'm like, "What is this shrub?

543

:

It's just amazing.

544

:

I love it so much."

545

:

That they had all over the property,

and my jaw dropped when they told me

546

:

that it was rosemary 'cause I didn't…

547

:

How does roma- rosemary get that big?

548

:

How does it live in February?

549

:

Well, in Arizona, it can do that.

550

:

So I will say that I now have

taken that into my garden design,

551

:

and I love designing with fragrant

plants near entryways or sitting

552

:

areas exactly for that reason

553

:

amber_1_07-07-2026_140547:

Oh, that's such a great idea.

554

:

I love that so much.

555

:

And I

556

:

squadcaster-0e16_1_07-07-2026_140546:

How about we

557

:

amber_1_07-07-2026_140547: when, like, a

plant that we know surprises us in that

558

:

squadcaster-0e16_1_07-07-2026_140546:

Yeah.

559

:

amber_1_07-07-2026_140547:

must be something totally new

560

:

I've never heard of before."

561

:

And it's like, "Oh,

562

:

squadcaster-0e16_1_07-07-2026_140546:

Yeah.

563

:

amber_1_07-07-2026_140547: Yes

564

:

squadcaster-0e16_1_07-07-2026_140546:

they looked at me, they're

565

:

like, "Uh, it's rosemary?

566

:

Like, everybody knows what rosemary is.

567

:

Why don't you know it?"

568

:

And I was like, "Well, I…

569

:

It's just not how I was familiar."

570

:

So it does show you how plant climates

can change how plants show up, right?

571

:

So okay.

572

:

So tell us y- your single or many

memories that you have with rosemary.

573

:

amber_1_07-07-2026_140547: I mean,

when I started thinking about

574

:

rosemary … So I would say, my earliest

or first memory, I jokingly say is,

575

:

a little bit fuzzy because I didn't

really have rosemary in my childhood.

576

:

I would say it was the first time

I experienced fresh rosemary.

577

:

'Cause when I was a kid, much

all herbs were dried things in

578

:

little jars in the cupboard.

579

:

Like,

580

:

squadcaster-0e16_1_07-07-2026_140546:

Oh yeah

581

:

amber_1_07-07-2026_140547: was just like,

I don't know, I was a kid in the '80s,

582

:

that just wasn't a thing that happened in,

northern Minnesota where I was growing up.

583

:

and I always thought that rosemary

was the weirdest one of all of the

584

:

dried herbs in the cupboard, 'cause it

looked like a jar full of pine needles.

585

:

I was very familiar with pine

trees growing up in Duluth, but

586

:

I was not familiar with rosemary.

587

:

So I just thought it was, like, so weird.

588

:

They were, dry and hard and crumbly, and,

what would you - why would you put these

589

:

dry little twiggy things into your food?

590

:

But when I first experienced

fresh rosemary, the fragrance,

591

:

how they are needle-like leaves,

but they're actually pretty soft,

592

:

and then that more complex flavor.

593

:

So yes, a little bit piney, but some

of that, like, lemon and almost a

594

:

little, like, menthol-y in ways, too.

595

:

Like, almost a coolness to it in, in some

ways, that I was just like, "Oh, rosemary,

596

:

where have you been all my life?"

597

:

I don't remember which preparation

was first, but it was either rosemary

598

:

potatoes or rosemary focaccia.

599

:

Those were, the two earliest, like,

first things that I definitely

600

:

tasted fresh rosemary in.

601

:

And then I had mentioned the herb

oil a little bit earlier, and that is

602

:

another thing that I just can't help

but think of because when I worked

603

:

in catering, I swear I was, cover- I

probably smelled like this herb oil most

604

:

of my life for the seven years that I

worked in catering 'cause we would make

605

:

five-gallon buckets full of it at a time.

606

:

So we're, like, stripping, a pound

of rosemary to make this herb oil.

607

:

So again, that is another one that

I can't help but, but think of.

608

:

So, all right

609

:

squadcaster-0e16_1_07-07-2026_140546:

eau, like E-A-U, eau de rosemary oil or

610

:

amber_1_07-07-2026_140547: Yeah.

611

:

Although it was probably the

garlic that clung the most.

612

:

squadcaster-0e16_1_07-07-2026_140546:

Yeah.

613

:

For sure.

614

:

Yeah, unfortunately.

615

:

Oh man, that's awesome.

616

:

amber_1_07-07-2026_140547: yeah, I think

we've covered the basics and then some

617

:

squadcaster-0e16_1_07-07-2026_140546: Yeah

618

:

amber_1_07-07-2026_140547: and if

you liked today's episode, you can

619

:

support the show by telling a friend.

620

:

And of course, if you have any

questions, please do reach out.

621

:

You can find me at wholeyounutrition.com

622

:

squadcaster-0e16_1_07-07-2026_140546:

And you can find me on

623

:

Instagram at Sassy Daffodil.

624

:

Thanks for listening

625

:

amber_1_07-07-2026_140547: Bye

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