Summer Savory Satureja hortensis

LATIN NAME: Satureja hortensis

COMMON NAME: Summer Savory

The summer savory spreads its narrow, dark-green leaves and the small, white or pink flowers, and the whole plant carries the fine, warm, peppery scent. The low, bushy, annual herb carries the narrow, lance-shaped, pointed, dark-green leaves on the slender, branching stems and the small, white or pale-pink, two-lipped flowers in the loose, whorled clusters through the summer, one of the fine, generous sights of the herb garden, drawing the bees. The leaves have a very long record as the fine, warm, peppery herb of the old kitchens, and the plant is a fine, historic presence of the herb garden. It is a plant of the open, sunny, deep, well-drained ground.

Scientific Research & Plant Biotechnology

The summer savory is a historic subject of the plant science, and the narrow leaves keep showing up in the work on the warm herbs. The chemistry of the narrow, pointed, dark-green leaves, which carry the fine, warm, peppery oils of the old kitchens, has been studied at length, and it keeps appearing in the studies of the warm herbs, the peppery leaves and the members of the mint family. The whorled clusters and the bushy habit have also made it a fine study plant, and the summer savory is a regular subject of the work on the narrow leaves of the warm world.

Ecological & Economic Value & Wide Applications

The summer savory is a fine, generous herb of the herb garden and the study collection. The narrow, pointed, dark-green leaves have a very long record as the fine, warm, peppery herb of the old kitchens, the fresh leaves coming to the beans, the stews, the stuffings, the vinegars and the sausages of the old tables, while the small, white or pale-pink, two-lipped flowers open in the loose, whorled clusters through the summer, drawing the bees. It is one of the fine choices for the herb garden, the pot and the study collection, and it has been written about in the culinary and the botanical papers for the peppery leaves and the very long history. It is a fine, generous herb of the open, sunny, deep, well-drained garden.

Give the young plants the deep, well-drained bed, and the peppery leaves will fill the summer.

To grow the summer savory from seed, sow the small, brown seeds just below the surface of the deep, sandy tray of fine, gritty soil, with a light press, keep the tray in a bright, open spot and water gently, then set the young plants out in the open ground. The seedlings are up within a week or two and grow on fast. With the sun and the deep, well-drained ground, the peppery leaves will fill the summer months.

Popular seasoning herb preferred over winter savory for its delicate flavour. Indispensable for its use in traditional Eastern Canadian dishes like potato stuffing. One of the ingredients in herbes de Provence. Can be used wherever sage is used when a more subtle flavour is desired. Soothes and aids in digestion. Summer savory is annual, unlike the perennial winter variety, and hence is easier and quicker to raise from seed.

This fragrant herb not only attract bees, but enhances the flavor of any of a number of food items including poultry stuffing, soups, stews, fish, and pizza. Being an annual, it can be planted in the spring and harvested throughout the year. Pinching back the top actually encourages the plant to bush out more. The plant reaches maturity in just 60 days! Leaves can be used fresh. If you have excess, just dry the leaves and they can be used throughout the year crushed. Try it in soups, gravy, eggs, chicken, vegetables, and more. Use it fresh in salads or on sandwiches. If you have not grown this before, you must at least try it.