Summer Savory

‘Sumner Savory’, also known as ‘Garden Savory’ or simply as ‘Savory’. Used to add its peppery flavoring to salads, soups, stuffing, sausage, and gravy. In the Atlantic Canada region, ‘Summer Savory’ is traditionally used in place of sage. Native to the Mediterranean region, ‘Summer Savory’ is now cultivated worldwide as a kitchen herb. It is similar in flavor and use to perennial or ‘Winter Savory’, but is an annual plant that can be used fresh, or harvested at the end of the season and dried for year-round use.

The plants are fairly compact reaching twelve to eighteen inches in height with slender, bronze-green leaves. The lavender, pink or white flowers bloom from July to September in the northern hemisphere. Since they tend to repel insects in the gardens, they make a good candidate as part of your companion planting plan. Each packet contains one gram, which is approximately 250 seeds.

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Savory’s medicinal properties are described as being astringent, carminative, expectorant, stimulant, and stomachic. A tea can be made using two to four teaspoons of dried herb, steeped in one cup of water. Dose is one cup per day taken throughout the day one mouthful at a time. The tea is used for stomach and intestinal issues that include indigestion, cramps, and nausea. It also can be used to stimulate the appetite and as a gargle for sore throats.^[1,2]