Summer Savory
Satureja hortensis
T
here are two kinds of savory: summer and Again, like other flowering herbs of reason
winter. The winter variety can be coaxed able height (8 inches and above), watch out
into becoming a low hedge and is named Mon- for flower stalks and cut them back before they
tana pygmaea in its dwarf variety, which is low bloom, to strengthen the aromatic qualities of
enough (4–5 feet tall) to see over to talk with the leaves.
neighbors but not good enough for the kitchen, There’s a wide range of uses for summer sa-
as it is coarse, dry, and bitter. vory, beginning with every bean dish you’ve ever
However, both varieties of savory have this thought of. Somehow the peppery—almost
one remarkable and useful quality: they are mint-like—flavor works very well. If you’ve ever
natural insect repellents. In some locations, made your own sausages from scratch or bought
they appear to keep down the leaf bugs and plain (low-fat) sausage meat, then add summer
weevils that typically go after beans. And if you savory and celebrate!
crush either type of savory, the moist paste can If you enjoy really complex tossed salads,
be used to ward off mosquitoes and/or bring then adding a few fresh leaves will provide a
some relief to wasp or bee stings. wonderful peppery taste.
Like most seed-sown herbs, these are sown
And if all this wasn’t enough, in the midsum
directly on a moist surface. They need both mer it will break out into a choice of three colors
moisture and all the light they can get. Be sure of tiny flowers—pink, white, and lavender—
you get really fresh seeds, no more than one that simply smother the plants and bring in the
season old. If you’ve already got a plant grow bees to get everything up and running.
ing, you can either divide it or take a cutting. If
you are using a container, make sure it’s a good
6 inches deep.
280 • GROWING AT THE SPEED OF LIFE
