Essential Herbs for Thanksgiving Promotions

Do you smell it? The smell of sweet potatoes mingling with marshmallows. The smell of turkey roasting in the oven and stuffing cooking to perfection? Thanksgiving is no stranger to mouthwatering aromas wafting from homes, but at the core to all these fragrances is a holiday essential – the herbs.

And when we say herb, we don’t just mean any herb – there are a few that are absolutely crucial to Thanksgiving.

Sage

Sage may just be the quintessential Thanksgiving Day herb. It has an intoxicating piney flavor that compliments many other flavors of the holiday. To be specific, sage pairs extremely well with rich, fatty flavors. The herb is often found in marinades, butters, sauces, and stews – all applications a consumer may find themselves cooking in the kitchen for the holiday.

To make the most out of Thanksgiving Day promotions, merchandise sage cold and at a slightly lower relative humidity than leafy herbs. Although sage is a hardy herb, proper storage and handling is important to preserve shelf-life.

Thyme

Thyme packs a big flavor within its tiny leaves. It’s a very versatile herb that can substitute other herbs in almost any recipe. Don’t confuse this thyme for lemon thyme – the variety we are talking about here is common thyme. Lemon thyme and common thyme may look very similar, but lemon thyme is most commonly used in dishes with citrus.

Thyme is a delicate herb and should be merchandised for Thanksgiving with care. Its small leaves are very susceptible to bruising when handled incorrectly.

Rosemary

Rosemary is a pungent herb commonly used to season and flavor meats, like lamb, turkey, chicken, and pork. Despite its delicate look, rosemary is a hardy herb (similar to sage) that travels well. It’s essential to store rosemary properly to prevent water loss and preserve shelf-life. Rosemary and sage are great herbs to cross-merchandise together as they can be stored in both the same zones for temperature and relative humidity.

Fresh herbs make all the difference for Thanksgiving. It’s one of the biggest holidays of the year for fresh herbs with demand skyrocketing among varieties like sage, thyme, and rosemary. For best availability during the holiday season, it’s highly recommended to pre-book herbs with your produce supplier.  This is the best strategy to ensure you have the stock to meet consumer demand.

Established in 1919, John Vena Inc. (JVI) is a fourth-generation, family-owned and-operated produce importer, wholesaler, and distributor providing a full suite of supply chain services including repacking, ripening, and logistics. JVI handles a wide range of specialty and premium items for foodservice, retail, and processing, including fresh herbs, greenhouse vegetables, gourmet foods, tropical fruits, ethnic produce, wild edibles, microgreens, edible flowers, and baby vegetables.