Rosemary

[Cheezy]

as some one has already said the skewers work well on a BBQ. prawns, scallops, chicken,lamb all very good.

My favourite would be to get a nice lamb shoulder , cut small pockets all over it and push in rosemary and garlic....hmmmmm

Oh the other thing I do is I cut 3 20-30 cm branches, pull off the bottom 10cm needles , tie the bottom and near the top with string. Trim the end with scissors , and you have the perfect BBQ basting brush, wont burn and shrivel up like plastic ones, and will add extra rosemary flavour. At the end of the BBQ , just chuck it on to burn!.

You could flavour oils and vingars with it and garlic

[StripyPixieSocks]

Dried Cranberry & Rosemary Bread... absolutely fantastic!

I just add a handful of Cranberries and a couple of pinches of dried Rosemary to a normal bread recipe. It's really nice with soup or toasted, really fragrant!

[AXJ]

Just don't do it with Oleander stems - read some time ago some numpty did this and it killed them!

I heard that one has to be a bit careful with Rosemary, is it just one particular variety?

[Cheezy]

Just don't do it with Oleander stems - read some time ago some numpty did this and it killed them!

I heard that one has to be a bit careful with Rosemary, is it just one particular variety?

The only thing you have to be careful with Rosemary (as far as I know) is the essential oils can cause miscarrage (as with lavinder).

[AXJ]

Ah, that must be what I heard, thanks.

I tried smoking it once, would not do that again in a hurry! Gets you stoned, but not in a nice way. I heard later that when burned it releases arsenic or cyanide gas (this was before the days of the internet) I have never been able to find any research to back that up tho.. so probably a myth.

We have rosemary growing in the street here, so when ever the meaties want lamb... I pop out with a pair of sissors... essential!!

Footnote: I just read that people smoke it for asthma

Rosemary and Coltsfoot leaves are considered good when rubbed together and smoked for asthma and other affections of the throat and lungs.

I guess must have been some other garden plant that gives off toxic vapours when burned!!

[AXJ]

Seems that Rosemary is jam packed with great antioxidents, which are particularly good at clensing the brain of free radicals, that may explain it therputic qualities when you have a head ache

Title

Antioxidant and pro-oxidant properties of active rosemary constituents: carnosol and carnosic acid.

Author

Aruoma O I; Halliwell B; Aeschbach R; Loligers J

Place

Biochemistry Department, University of London, King's College, UK


Source

XENOBIOTICA� (1992 Feb),� 22(2),� 257-68.� Journal code: XQU.� ISSN:0049-8254.� Journal; written in English


Abstract

1. Carnosol and carnosic acid have been suggested to account for over 90% of the antioxidant properties of rosemary extract. 2. Purified carnosol and carnosic acid are powerful inhibitors of lipid peroxidation in microsomal and liposomal systems, more effective than propyl gallate. 3. Carnosol and carnosic acid are good scavengers of peroxyl radicals (CCl3O2.) generated by pulse radiolysis, with calculated rate constants of 1-3 x 10(6) M-1 s-1 and 2.7 x 10(7) M-1 s-1 respectively. 4. Carnosic acid reacted with HOCl in such a way as to protect the protein alpha 1-antiproteinase against inactivation. 5. Both carnosol and carnosic acid stimulated DNA damage in the bleomycin assay but they scavenged hydroxyl radicals in the deoxyribose assay. The calculated rate constants for reaction with .OH in the deoxyribose system for carnosol and carnosic acid were 8.7 x 10(10) M-1 s-1 and 5.9 x 10(10) M-1 s-1 respectively. 6. Carnosic acid appears to scavenge H2O2, but it could also act as a substrate for the peroxidase system. 7. Carnosic acid and carnosol reduce cytochrome c but with a rate constant significantly lower than that of O2(-.).

[Millymollymandy]

Well strangely enough when we used to throw rosemary onto the barbecue it did give off a rather ..... um shall I say 'familiar', odour.

[AXJ]

Well strangely enough when we used to throw rosemary onto the barbecue it did give off a rather ..... um shall I say 'familiar', odour.

LoL, Fabulous, in London we used to have barbecues frequently, sadly rsoemary was not available inabundance at the time, now I don't have anywhere near the abode to site a barbecue, I doubt the neighbours would tollerate it on the balcony

[mrsflibble]

lol, I'll have to tell my uncle about the smoking it thing hahaha!