Admit it. You can't just say "parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme", you have to sing it!  

But have you actually used this famous herb combo in your cooking?  We have.  It's one of the things that makes our new Apple Pork bar so tasty.

When we set out to create the new flavor, we faced several challenges.  We knew we wanted to create a snack that's AIP compliant and allium-free, meaning it had no onions or garlic.  It's important to us to accommodate our friends with food sensitivities.  But if you ever tried to cook without onions and garlic, you know that the resulting dish isn't often bursting with flavor.  Even more challenging: the new flavor was going to be made with pork.  Onions and garlic are natural companions of pork meat and without them, it tastes bland.  We are Wild Zora, not Bland Zora!  We experimented with a variety of seasonings, but in the end decided to go with the herb combo immortalized in Scarborough Fair: parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme.

Why these four?

Parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme have been used for centuries both as remedies and as seasoning. 

Although we associate the four herbs with the "Scarborough Fair", the herby refrain is a relatively new addition to the old song; it's believed to originate in the 19th century. 

It's entirely possible that the names of herbs simply made it into the song because they sound nice.  But the herbs also carry symbolic meaning.  The language of flowers was highly popular in the 19th century; it was a way to send cryptic messages through flower arrangement.  Could parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme serve as a way to send a secret message to the "true love of mine"?

That's all very interesting, but what does it have to with you?  You can try to send a bouquet to your ex and hope she is well versed in Victorian ways.  Maybe she will let go of her bitter feelings, find strength and wisdom to remember the love you shared, and have the courage to be happy with you again.  Or not.  In that case, you can use the herbs for cooking.

They taste great together

Don't take our word for it, try it for yourself.  Parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme add fresh herby flavor to any dish.  Try it in stews, or with poultry.  Stuff your Thanksgiving turkey with a big bunch of those flavorful herbs.  Here is an everyday recipe using these wonderful herbs:

We found that parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme taste wonderful with pork.  Next time you are making pork roast or pork chops, try this flavorful foursome.   Or, order some Apple Pork Wild Zora bars today!

 They are good for you

Like many culinary herbs, parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme have strong medicinal properties. 

Parsley

This humble herb often used only as garnish and discarded is a nutritional powerhouse. Parsley is rich in vitamins A, K, B, and C; in fact, it contains more vitamin C than oranges.  It's also a great source of calcium and iron.  To boost your immune system, add fresh chopped parsley on top of your favorite savory dishes.  It's a  mild diuretic, so it supports kidney health.  Like many green plants, it's rich in chlorophyl which helps fight off bad breath.  If you enjoy foods heavily seasoned with garlic, try chewing a few sprigs of fresh parsley after the meal to combat garlic breath. 

It's a mild diuretic, so it supports kidney health.  Like many green plants, it's rich in chlorophyll which helps fight off bad breath.  If you enjoy foods heavily seasoned with garlic, try chewing a few sprigs of fresh parsley after the meal to combat garlic breath. 

Parsley is readily available in most grocery stores, but it's very easy to grow.  It's best to start it from seed since the plant has deep roots that might make transplanting difficult.  It grows well in containers and requires well-drained soil.

Sage

The Latin name for sage, Salvia (Salvia Officinalis), is related to the word salvus, which means "healthy", or salvare, "to save".  It has been used for centuries to ease indigestion from heavy meals.  Sage has many benefits and deserves to be a regular part of your diet.

Because of its antibacterial properties, sage infusion makes a wonderful mouthwash or face wash, if you struggle with acne.  It's also a great gargle for a sore throat.

Many people are hesitant to use sage as a culinary herb because of its strong, somewhat medicinal taste.  It works well paired with other herbs - in our Scarborough Fair combo, the bitterness of sage is balanced out by the mild sweetness of parsley.  It works really well in our Apple Pork bar - it tames the sweet apple and complements the succulent pork. 

When grown outdoors, sage forms an attractive low shrub with silvery leaves and purple blossoms.  It does well in dry,  sunny spots.  If you grow it indoors it stays fairly small and likely won't bloom.

Rosemary

Because rosemary is the main flavor in our bestselling Mediterranean Lamb bar, we wrote another blog post about its many health benefits.

Rosemary brings bright, slightly woodsy flavor to our combination.  You will barely taste it in the Apple Pork bar, but it helps bring out the mild flavor of the all-natural pork and balances out the sweet notes of apples and cinnamon.

Thyme

 Thyme has been highly regarded by herbalists for centuries.  It has been used as an antiseptic and room deodorizer.  To this day, thyme is used to help ease symptoms of respiratory illnesses; it eases coughing and fever and also alleviates headaches.  It was used to relieve asthma symptoms in medieval times.  

As a culinary herb, thyme is indispensable.  It's used in many herb mixes, including bouquet garni, and it is a staple in Italian cuisine.  Its bright, comforting flavor goes really well with fish and seafood.  If you would like to eat more fish for its health benefits but find the fishy taste off-putting, try seasoning it with thyme and lemon.

If you want to enjoy fresh thyme, you can grow it both outdoors and indoors.  As an outdoors plant, thyme is a beautiful addition to a rock garden. It is an easy plant to grow;  it doesn't need really rich soil and prefers dry, sunny spots.  When you grow thyme in a container, make sure you don't overwater it.

Make parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme your kitchen staple.  Not only do they bring a comforting herby flavor to many dishes, they also have many health benefits.  That's why we added them to our new AIP compliant Apple Pork bar. Have you tried it yet?

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