Spring has sprung

Finally!! Goodbye frosty, bleak winter. Hello sunshine, blue skies, flowers, bees, BBQ's, the smell of cut lawn clippings, swooping Magpies, flies...it's all good. Spring is the time of year when everything wakes up from its dormant wintery sleep. Especially the rosemary bush in my garden. It has obviously enjoyed the cold winter months, because it is flourishing at present. It's one of the few bursts of colour that I have in the garden at the moment.

Rosemary signifies remembrance and friendship. An old saying, and one that I wholeheartedly agree with, is that if rosemary grows vigorously in a family's garden, it means a woman heads the household. I keep trying to reiterate this fact to my husband, but it continually falls on deaf ears for some reason. Now I have proof.....mmwoo...haaa...haaa.

As well there is an abundance of oranges dropping from my tree, the branches groaning under the weight of these sweet and juicy vitamin pills.


This Weekend Herb Blogging event is kindly hosted by Kalyn, who tirelessly devotes so much of her time to this event, and her baby is nearly turning two years old. I can't wait for the party!

Originally I was going to make Rosemary Orange Mustard, to use as a condiment for dipping bread, but I think my orange yielded way too much juice than anticipated, and the end result was rather runny. No problems. It has now become Rosemary Orange Mustard Marinade, and to be honest, it will peel the skin off your tongue, it's so HOT. Rather than marinating your choice of meat, you may prefer to just baste it as you're grilling it.

Rosemary-Orange Mustard/Marinade

This grainy mustard is spicy hot but great for cooking or dipping pretzels. The flavor improves after a few days so plan accordingly.

1/4 cup yellow mustard seeds

1/4 cup brown mustard seeds

1 1/2 Tablespoons dry mustard

1/4 cup water

1/4 cup cider vinegar

1/4 cup white wine

Minced zest of one orange (about 1 heaping Tablespoon)

Juice of same orange

1/4 cup minced fresh rosemary leaves

Few dashes of salt, to taste

In a blender (or as I used a coffee grinder), grind the mustard seeds to the texture of cornmeal. Transfer to a small bowl and stir in remaining ingredients. You may need to judge the liquid and add accordingly if you want mustard consistency. Allow to sit at room temperature for a couple of hours. Stir again and taste for salt, adding more if desired.

Store, covered, in the refrigerator for up to a month.

Yield: 1 cup mustard

This will be used on tomorrow's Father's Day BBQ at my Dad's. Nothing pleases him more than being surrounded by his family, grandkids and great grandkids. So for all the Dad's in the world, have a great Father's Day.