I think we’ve all used rosemary in a recipe or two at some point, but I came to love it even more after moving to California’s Central Coast. (Our office and warehouse is based in Atascadero). There is *so* much rosemary in our landscape. The entire entrance to our new home was surrounded by hedges of rosemary and lavender, as were the properties of our neighbors.

When we asked our real estate agent why this was, he advised us that deer dislike both of these herbs, so they wouldn’t eat it.  Sure enough, they’ve pretty much mowed down everything else we’ve tried to grow, but rosemary and lavender continue to flourish. Who would have thought?!

It wasn’t long thereafter I’d grab our sheers and start cutting both the rosemary and lavender to add their amazing herbaceous and floral scents to flower arrangements and recipes. Not only is rosemary a recognizable scent, it also has a beautiful purple flower that our bees love. It brings us such happiness to watch them buzzing around the rosemary hedge when it’s in full bloom – you can literally hear them singing with joy as they fill their pollen pockets after rolling around on the flower (the pollen adds a touch of rosemary flavor to the honey, which is so yummy).

Aside from being bee food, a cooking staple and a landscape saver, rosemary also has a history of medicinal and skincare properties. It’s been said that rosemary offered protection from the bubonic plague. It’s also known to help oily skin without drying and clogging pores. This incredible herb also helps soothe muscle aches and pains. And it makes a great addition to an end-of-day cocktail – our favorite is this Pear Rosemary Cocktail.  

We use rosemary in our Healing Honey Body Scrub for its delicious scent, antioxidant properties and as a natural preservative.  And, you can expect to see more of this versatile essential oil in our future products!