A quiet jar of rosemary

The rosemary packet lies by the oven — the edge already open, heat pulls the resin from the needles. In two weeks instead of pine — cupboard dust. I tip the needles into a glass jar to a lid click and set it on a cool lower cupboard shelf: not by the glass, not above the hob.

A quiet jar of rosemary. Thyme in the dark is another pinch; oregano by a cold wall is another leaf; chilli flakes are another fire on the shelf; dry herbs instead of a fresh bunch are another gesture at the pot. Here rosemary: a tight lid and cool air — so the resin stays in the needle and does not leave into the kitchen air.

If it already smells of hay without a voice — I bin it, I don’t tip it into a roast “for show”. I add a pinch near the end, I don’t boil it long. I’m not advertising a new pack from the aisle: I mean the one already opened in our house.

I don’t need rosemary that cools as grey dust by the oven. I need a jar that still pulls of resin. In your kitchen does rosemary live under a lid in the cool — or crumple as a packet by the hot hob?