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Published on 06/12/01

Herbs Make Great Gifts From The Garden

With a little forethought, rosemary can help you with your holiday gift list. "My friends love getting rosemary wreaths at Christmas," said Georgia Master Gardener Ellouise Connolly. "I bet I make at least 10 a year."

Rosemary is a wonderful herb for meat dishes, but Connolly has found another use.

"My friend's outdoor dog smelled just horrid," she said. "I took some rosemary, boiled it in water, let it seep and cool. Then I gave the dog a rosemary rinse. He smelled great and stopped scratching."

Besides making wreaths, Connolly says one summer she made herbal vinegars. "I just love making them, and before I knew it I'd made 20 bottles," she said. She uses herbs in jellies and breads, too.

Outside the kitchen, Connolly boils herbs in oil, strains the oil, allows it to cool and uses it in her bath. She makes herbal hair rinses and creams, too.

"I also love to dry herbs and put them in sealed jars," she said. "Then I open a jar while I'm taking a bath. It's homegrown aromatherapy."

Sharon Omahen is a news editor with the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.