Doll is Mine wrote:
As many others, I am now planning my garden (I am in zone 5), and
saw
someone post about basil vs. oregano. I have a similar question -
what
does one use savory and sorrel for? I love herbs, but have no idea
what
to to with them. I can goggle for an answer, but thought this group
might have better answers.

I don't have savory, but the interest of sorrel is that you have it
very early and very late (we usually have sorrel soup for Thanksgiving,
and also in march).
sorrel soup is, IMHO, best when you blend potatoes boiled in stock with
fresh sorrel (do it quickly so the sorrel does not cook). add
seasonings to taste (I cook also an onion with the potatoes, and add
cayenne and salt).
It is also a perennial that is untroubled by soil, partial shade and
general neglect. We use it also in tomato chowders through the summer.
Though I like strong flavored greens, I find it a bit too tart for my
taste in salads.

being another zone 5 dweller, my advice is to have as many hardy
perennial herbs as possible (another pro-oregano point in the great
debate). not only they are as good as (or better, like oregano vs
basil), you also have them in spring and fall. I use sage, oregano and
thyme about 8 months a year, and they are usable until the ground
freezes (dec. 15). our sage-filled roast chickens and red cabbage
salads liberally loaded with thyme lift our spirits in nov.-dec.. In
the spring, one of my two oreganos is up and running by april 1.

of course, we drink mint and lemon balm tea from our patch through the
year, and these are herbs that you appreciate mostly in the winter.