Sun, Spice, & Solstice

Every June, the Summer Solstice arrives like a bright, golden punctuation mark in the year. The sun reaches its highest point in the sky, and daylight lingers. It’s the longest day of the year, celebrated for millennia by cultures around the world, not just for its astronomical significance, but for what it meant to the earth beneath our feet.

At Swagger Foods, we like to think of the Solstice as more than just the start of summer. It’s the seasoning point of the year - the peak of natural potency in the herbs and spices that bring food to life.

In ancient times, the Solstice was seen as a powerful moment in the agricultural calendar. Farmers in Druidic Britain, Pharaonic Egypt, and Mesoamerican cultures marked this day with feasts and fire, understanding intuitively that the sun wasn’t just light, it was life. Crops surged. Herbs reached their aromatic climax. And for early cooks and healers, this was the moment to harvest.

Roman herbalists believed herbs picked on the Solstice had stronger medicinal and magical properties. Mugwort, fennel, rosemary, thyme - these weren’t just flavorings, they were sun-soaked blessings. A sprig of basil or mint grown under the long Solstice sun wasn’t just more fragrant, it was more alive.

We may not believe in plant spirits and moon rituals (or maybe some of us do), but anyone who’s grown herbs knows: sunlight changes everything. The oils in rosemary get richer. Oregano becomes bolder. Basil drinks in the sun and gives back in sweet, green glory.

Think of it this way: seasonings, like the seasons themselves, are time-bound. Dried spices are our way of bottling the essence of heat and sun for later days. 

So today, as the sun makes its longest arc overhead, consider honoring the old ways. Step outside. Pick a sprig of something green. Smell the sharp, warm perfume of chlorophyll and sun. Toss it on something sizzling and remember, it’s not just grill season - it’s growing season.