Satureja montana

20 seeds Satureja montana.

Winter savory (Satureja montana) is a perennial herb in the family Lamiaceae, native to warm temperate regions of southern Europe.

It is a semi-evergreen, semi-woody subshrub growing to 16 in (41 cm) tall. The leaves are opposite, oval-lanceolate, 1-2 cm long and 5 mm broad. The flowers are white. Easy to grow, it makes an attractive border plant for any culinary herb garden. It requires six hours of sun a day in soil that drains well.

Winter savory was used for hundreds of years. Both it and summer savory have been grown and used, virtually side by side. Both have strong spicy flavour. It goes particularly well with any type of mushroom, or in white sauces, and is very good in potato salads. Small amounts spice a regular salad well. It has a rich herbaceous aroma when crushed.

It is used as a companion plant for beans, keeping bean weevils away, and also roses, reducing mildew and aphids.
Culinary uses

In cooking, winter savory has a reputation for going very well with both beans and meats, very often lighter meats such as chicken or turkey, and can be used in stuffing. It has a strong flavour while uncooked but loses much of its flavour under prolonged cooking.

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