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As I was perusing farmers’ market stalls not too long ago, sweet little bundles of summer savory caught my eye.

While not as popular as herbs such as thyme and basil in today’s kitchens, savory once held a place of dominance in the cooking of Europe, so much so that its name refers not only to the herb, but an entire segment of cooking.

There are about 30 species in savory’s genus; however, two of them, summer savory, an annual, and winter savory, a perennial, are best known to us and used for cooking. Jointly, they’re referred to as “the savories.”

This herb can pack a punch, particularly the more strongly flavored winter savory. Native to a swath of southern Europe from Spain to Turkey, the two savories were the strongest herbs available to Europeans for cooking until world exploration and trade brought such spices as black pepper to the table.

Since both savories are available fresh from mid spring through fall, one might wonder about their seasonal names. The monikers likely developed because more gently flavored summer savory marries well with the fresh produce available in the summer, while the stronger flavor of winter savory is best with hearty winter dishes.

Savory is nicknamed “the bean herb” because it goes so well with all kinds of beans, both fresh and dried. The name for savory in German is bohnenkraut, meaning just that, bean herb, and in Italian cuisine, savory is a staple ingredient in bean dishes.

And what of the differences between the two species?

Both savories have wiry stems and small, needle-like leaves, similar to rosemary, to which they’re related; however, the leaves of summer savory are tender, enough so to add fresh to salads, while winter savory sports tough leaves, making it useful in dishes that require long cooking.

The stems of winter savory are woodier than those of its summer savory cousin. It may be planted as a hedge, and was popular in the intricate knot gardens of Tudor England.

As a perennial, winter savory will return each year from the same root and should provide pungent leaves for cooking in all but the coldest months. In the mild climate of coastal California, it’s an evergreen.

In contrast, summer savory must be replanted in the garden each year.

In the kitchen, the two are generally interchangeable, but less of the more pungent winter savory should be used in recipes. It has a more intense version of summer savory’s peppery notes and its subtle hints of dill, mint and pine.

A tablespoon of chopped fresh summer savory translates to a teaspoon of winter, a difference of two thirds.

Savory was a popular herb in ancient Rome, where it flavored vinegar as one of their main condiments and was a component in many of their sauces. Adding a sprig of summer savory to infuse its herbal notes into vinegar is a great way to enjoy its flavor throughout the year.

The genus’ Latin name, Satureja, is attributed to the Roman writer, Pliny, and is a derivative of the word “satyr,” a mythical half man, half goat. According to the lore surrounding these creatures, the satyrs lived in meadows of savory, making them passionate, thus fueling a persistent belief in savory as a love potion. Some believed that summer savory fueled passion, while winter savory decreased it.

San Francisco was originally named Yerba Buena because of a relative of summer and winter savory native to the Pacific coast. Early settlers dried the herb and drank it as tea to cure a variety of ailments, thus earning the name, which translates to “good herb.”

Both savories keep their character when dried, and savory is often found in the dried blends that mimic the herbs of Provence, France.

Summer savory in its fresh form may be bundled with herbs such as rosemary, thyme, oregano and sage to flavor soups and stews. Winter savory is not recommended, as its pungency will overtake the other herbal flavors.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In an effort to determine whether dried spices marketed as savory contain the winter or summer species, I found that it depends on the company. Spice Islands, for example, uses summer savory and labels it as such, while McCormick bottles the winter species without identifying it that way. Some companies that deal in online bulk herbs don’t differentiate between the two.

Fresh springs of either of the savories may be frozen for later use in cooking. As well, the herb may be whirred in a blender with a little water to make a thick slurry and frozen in ice cube trays, similar to basil. Once frozen, transfer to zipper sealed bags for freezer storage.

Fresh herbs are best kept in the fridge standing in water like a bouquet or wrapped in a slightly damp paper towel and stored in a plastic bag.

The savories’ pungent taste complements foods with milder flavor profiles, such as potatoes or beans. Sprigs of savory add a wonderful flavor to slow-cooked dried beans, and chopped fresh savory may be mixed with olive oil, salt, and pepper to make a flavorful rub for roasted potatoes.

In Atlantic Canada, summer savory is used in the same way sage is elsewhere, such as for the main flavoring ingredient for dressing for fowl.

In addition to its popularity in Italy and Germany, summer savory is popular in various Eastern European cuisines, including as a flavoring for sausages.

In Bulgaria, salt and pepper is replaced on tables with a combination of salt, paprika and savory, known there as sharena sol, meaning colorful salt.

Other uses include as a flavoring in tomato dishes, as a robust alternative to dill in sour cream dips, as a component in marinades and vinaigrettes, and as a flavoring for fish, especially when combined with garlic, bay leaves and lemon juice.

A classic summer dish is green beans flavored with summer savory. These fresh beans are available now at farmers’ markets, and if you’re lucky, you may find a bunch of fresh savory to go along with them.

To make it, blanch beans first in boiling water until tender crisp, about six to eight minutes, depending on the size of the beans. Rinse with cold water if using immediately, or plunge into an ice water bath if holding for later use.

Sauté blanched beans in butter or olive oil and chopped fresh summer savory, about two tablespoons for every two pounds of beans, then season with salt and pepper to taste.

Like green beans, tomatoes have arrived at local farmers’ markets, and today’s recipe celebrates their combination with summer savory. If fresh savory is unavailable, you may substitute two teaspoons of dried savory for the two tablespoons of fresh in the recipe. Enjoy!

Savory fried tomatoes

4 large tomatoes, cut into thick slices

½ cup cornmeal

¼ cup Parmesan cheese, grated

2 tablespoons finely chopped savory

Salt and pepper to taste

3 tablespoons olive oil

Pat the tomato slices thoroughly dry.

Mix together the cornmeal, Parmesan, savory, salt and pepper in a shallow bowl.

Coat each tomato slice with the mixture, pressing gently to make sure it adheres.

Heat the oil in a pan until hot, then fry the tomatoes in batches, two to three minutes on each side, until golden brown. Add more oil if needed. Serve at once.

Recipe compliments of Mariquita Farm at www.mariquita.com.

Esther Oertel, the “Veggie Girl,” is a culinary coach and educator and is passionate about local produce. Oertel teaches culinary classes at Chic Le Chef in Hidden Valley Lake, Calif., and The Kitchen Gallery in Lakeport, Calif., and gives private cooking lessons. She welcomes your questions and comments; e-mail her at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

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Imagine forecasting a hurricane in Miami weeks before the storm was even a swirl of clouds off the coast of Africa – or predicting a tornado in Kansas from the flutter of a butterfly's wing in Texas. These are the kind of forecasts meteorologists can only dream about.

Could the dream come true?

A new study by Stanford researchers suggests that such forecasts may one day be possible – not on Earth, but on the sun.

“We have learned to detect sunspots before they are visible to the human eye,” said Stathis Ilonidis, a PhD student at Stanford University. “This could lead to significant advances in space weather forecasting.”

Sunspots are the “butterfly's wings” of solar storms. Visible to the human eye as dark blemishes on the solar disk, sunspots are the starting points of explosive flares and coronal mass ejections that sometimes hit our planet 93 million miles away. Consequences range from Northern Lights to radio blackouts to power outages.

Astronomers have been studying sunspots for more than 400 years, and they have pieced together their basic characteristics: Sunspots are planet-sized islands of magnetism that float in solar plasma.

Although the details are still debated, researchers generally agree that sunspots are born deep inside the sun via the action of the sun’s inner magnetic dynamo.

From there they bob to the top, carried upward by magnetic buoyancy; a sunspot emerging at the stellar surface is a bit like a submarine emerging from the ocean depths.

In the Aug. 19 issue of Science, Ilonidis and co-workers Junwei Zhao and Alexander Kosovichev announced that they can see some sunspots while they are still submerged.

Their analysis technique is called “time-distance helioseismology,” and it is similar to an approach widely used in earthquake studies.

Just as seismic waves traveling through the body of Earth reveal what is inside the planet, acoustic waves traveling through the body of the sun can reveal what is inside the star.

Fortunately for helioseismologists, the sun has acoustic waves in abundance. The body of the sun is literally roaring with turbulent boiling motions. This sets the stage for early detection of sunspots.

“We can't actually hear these sounds across the gulf of space,” explains Ilonidis, “but we can see the vibrations they make on the sun's surface.”

Instruments onboard two spacecraft, the venerable Solar and Heliospheric Observatory and the newer Solar Dynamics Observatory constantly monitor the sun for acoustic activity.

Submerged sunspots have a detectable effect on the sun's inner acoustics – namely, sound waves travel faster through a sunspot than through the surrounding plasma. A big sunspot can leapfrog an acoustic wave by 12 to 16 seconds.

“By measuring these time differences, we can find the hidden sunspot,” Ilonidis.

Ilonidis says the technique seems to be most sensitive to sunspots located about 60,000 kilometers beneath the sun’s surface. The team isn't sure why that is “the magic distance,” but it's a good distance because it gives them as much as two days advance notice that a spot is about to reach the surface.

“This is the first time anyone has been able to point to a blank patch of sun and say 'a sunspot is about to appear right there,'” said Ilonidis's thesis advisor Prof. Phil Scherrer of the Stanford Physics Department. “It's a big advance.”

“There are limits to the technique,” cautioned Ilonidis. “We can say that a big sunspot is coming, but we cannot yet predict if a particular sunspot will produce an Earth-directed flare.”

So far they have detected five emerging sunspots – four with Solar and Heliospheric Observatory and one with Solar Dynamics Observatory.

Of those five, two went on to produce X-class flares, the most powerful kind of solar explosion. This encourages the team to believe their technique can make a positive contribution to space weather forecasting.

Because helioseismology is computationally intensive, regular monitoring of the whole sun is not yet possible – “We don’t have enough CPU cycles,” said Ilonidis – but he believes it is just a matter of time before refinements in their algorithm allow routine detection of hidden sunspots.

Dr. Tony Phillips works for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

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LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The 21st annual Konocti Challenge cycling event is rapidly approaching, and organizers are urging participants not to delay in submitting their registration.

The ride will take place on Saturday, Oct. 1.

The Konocti Challenge is sponsored by the Rotary Club of Lakeport and is a fun-filled cycling event for all ages.

The challenging 65 and 100 mile routes encircle beautiful Clear Lake while the more subdued 40 mile route travels up Lakeshore Boulevard through Scotts Valley and then around gorgeous Big Valley.

The Rotary Club reported that they have a family-friendly 20 mile ride in which children enjoy participating.

There also are seven well placed and fully stocked rest stops located around Lake County. All stops are manned by local nonprofit groups that are competing for votes and their share of a $5,000 prize pool. This equates to themes, decorations and all sorts of crazy antics to get your vote.

The organizations participating this year are People Services, Hospice of Lake County, Middletown Rotary, Clear Lake High School Class of 2014, Scotts Valley Womens Civic Club, Kelseyville Business Association and Operation Tango Mike (last year’s winner).

In addition, there will be plenty of support on all routes to assist riders and the end-of-ride barbecue on the shores of beautiful Clear Lake at the Lakeport Yacht Club is something not to miss.

The first 400 registered riders get a free t-shirt, bottle and patch, all of which is included in the price of registration.

Also, new this year is our Sunday Guided Wine Adventure with an emphasis on “adventure.”

For more information or to register, go to www.konoctichallenge.com, or contact Jennifer Strong at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 707-349-0815.

All proceeds benefit the local and international projects of the Rotary Club of Lakeport.

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MENDOCINO COUNTY, Calif. – Mendocino County law enforcement officials are investigating a Saturday morning incident in which a man shot at a person near Fort Bragg.

Sgt. Greg Stefani said Aaron Bassler, a transient from Fort Bragg, had been identified as the suspect in the incident, which was alleged to have taken place at about 10:20 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 27.

It was just minutes afterward that the Mendocino County Sheriff's Office was contacted regarding a shooting incident, which Stefani said occurred in a remote, rugged area on private timber company property adjacent to the Noyo River. He said the location is four miles east of Fort Bragg and adjacent to the Skunk Rail-road lines.

Stefani said that Mendocino County Sheriff's deputies – along with Fort Bragg Police personnel, California Highway Patrol and Fish and Game Officers – proceeded to the area and contacted a witness to the shooting.

The witness advised law enforcement personnel that they were conducting property management in the area and that the gunman – Bassler – allegedly started shooting at them. Stefani said the witness was able to flee the area and contact law enforcement via cellular telephone.

The Mendocino County SWAT Team was deployed later in the day in an attempt to locate Bassler and any victim, Stefani said.

As of late Saturday evening no suspect or victim had been located, according to Stefani's report.

Stefani said a reverse 911 was sent out to residents in the general area of the incident. He said once the suspect is in custody, a second reverse 911 will be sent notifying residents that the area is secured.

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