A lot of people find it quite complicated and frustrating to not know exactly how much of a certain ingredient they will have to purchase and then use when trying a new recipe. When it comes to rosemary, some recipes will call for it in ounces, while others talk about the produce description, calling for two medium bunches, and a handful of recipes will talk about volume, like one or two cups for example. But how can you really know what they are actually talking about? How Much rosemary will you find in a bunch? As we did for other products in the past, we did the experiments ourselves so you know how many bunches you should buy for your particular recipe.
So to find the answer to how many rosemary bunches you will actually need to fill a cup with leaves, we went to the closest grocery store where we browsed the produce section. We looked around and found the most average-looking bunch we could find in the herb section. Weighing it showed us that it was about 1 ounce. It was made of 22 springs.
We took the one-ounce medium bunch of rosemary home and and went on with our tests to see how many bunches we’d actually need to fill a cup. W then chopped off the leaves, a test that revealed that each rosemary spring would yield around 3/4 teaspoon. This means that in order to get a full cup of rosemary leaves, you would have to chop around 3 whole bunches.
Here’s an interesting piece of information: Rosemary is actually an evergreen bush. It was first found on the Mediterranean coast. Its name can be translated to “dew of the sea”. It is also a plant from the mint family.
So at this point you should have an understanding of how many bunches of rosemary you will need when a recipe calls for either an ounce or a cup of chopped rosemary. As with other mints, when buying from the store, you can always use the scale in there to know exactly how much rosemary to get. But if you plant your own rosemary, then you should really consider getting a kitchen scale to measure it so you don’t cut too much. If the information provided above is still not enough for you to know how much rosemary you’ll need, you can always use the conversion tool we provide below.
Convertor
General Information on How to Store Rosemary
Always try to go for fresh rosemary springs that have green leaves that are pliable and not dry or brittle.
Short-Term Rosemary Storage
Keep in mind that rosemary is a woodier type of herb. This means that you can either go for the jar method or use the paper towel method.
You might also like our articles on the weight of sage, parsley, or thyme.
The jar method involves filling a water glass or jar with water only partially and then placing the stem ends directly in the container, into the water, without even washing them. The jar filled with rosemary should be covered loosely using a plastic bag and then placed in the refrigerator. When you see the water begins to discolor or after a few days change the water in the container. Using this method will make the rosemary last for around 2 weeks if not more.
The paper towel method involves wrapping the fresh rosemary in a paper towel that is slightly damp and then placing a large plastic bag over it. Be careful not to crush the leaves in the process. The bagged rosemary will then have to be placed in the refrigerator. In this way, you can also ensure that the rosemary will last for around 2 weeks.
Long-Term Rosemary Storage
Rosemary can be kept for longer periods of time when frozen. To freeze it, discard the rosemary steps after removing the leaves. Place rosemary leaves in each ice cube cavity from the tray and then top everything off with water. Place the whole tray in the freezer for two days and then get the rosemary cubes out and transfer them into a ziplock bag. The bag can then be kept in the freezer for the next two months and used when needed.