Satureja hortensis

'Summer Savory'

Lamiaceae: a bushy annual to 25cm tall. Found on dry gravelly and stony slopes to 1500m. Spikes of small, whorled tubular 2-lipped white flowers. Blooming from July to August. Narrowly lance-shaped, aromatic leaves. Native to South Eastern Europe to Western Asia.

USES:

The leaves have an aromatic, slightly peppery flavour, they are used mainly as a flavouring for cooked foods. They are also used as a garnish for salads, and as an herb tea.

Summer savory is most often used as a culinary herb, but it also has marked medicinal benefits, especially upon the whole digestive system. The whole herb, and especially the flowering shoots, have antiseptic, aromatic, carminative, digestive, expectorant and stomachic properties.

The essential oil from the flowering shoots is used extensively in perfumery, giving a quality to the fragrance.

GROWING INFORMATION:

Surface sow seeds in spring to germinate in 1 - 2 weeks. Light rich soil and full sun.

The flowers are very attractive to bees.

HARVESTED: 2020