Fried sage can be crumbled over a dish to heighten flavor at the last moment. Sage can also be used to add herbaceousness to sauces, compound butters, meat marinades, pastries, and breads. Add fresh sage leaves to cocktails and teas for an instant hit of herbal flavor.
What can I do with fresh garden sage?
Sprinkle them on salads, whip up a batch of herb and blossom tempura, or make sage blossom jelly or syrup, the latter of which can be put to good use in cocktails and lemonade. More: If you have more fresh sage than you know what to do with, try drying it. Begin your day with sage. Snack on some sage.
Can garden sage be eaten?
Cooking with Sage
Sage is primarily used as a flavoring for fatty meats, sausages, beans and vegetables. The herb is rarely, if ever, used raw, because its aroma and flavor is best released when cooked (plus the herb is a little bit too pungent to be consumed raw).
Should you cut back garden sage?
Early spring is a good time to cut back sage. If the leaves are cut before winter, the plant might have difficulty to get through the winter time. Now, in February, the shoots can be cut back to about 5 cm. After pruning, when the weather improves, the sage will get new sprouts and grow bushier.
How do you preserve garden sage?
To store, simply wrap the sage leaves in paper towels and put them in a plastic bag in the refrigerator. Make sure to use the leaves within four to five days. Fresh leaves that are covered in olive oil can be stored for much longer in the refrigerator, about three weeks.
How do you dry fresh garden sage?
In the open air: Bundle your sage leaves together in groups of five or ten using twine or a rubber band. Cover the bundles with a perforated paper bag and hang them until dry. Depending on the humidity, this could take several days.
How do you use homegrown sage?
Add whole sage leaves, along with fresh or dried chiles, to a pot of beans. Use four finely chopped fresh sage leaves per pound of meat in any pork dish involving a gravy or sauce. Use culinary sage leaves’ unique pungency to complement poultry, stuffings, and sausages.
Should you let your sage plant flower?
Generally, these plants are grown for their edible foliage, and many gardeners choose to pinch off the flowers. This encourages plants to use their energy to produce tender leaves instead of seeds. If you let your plants bloom, cut back below the start of the bloom stalks once they fade to encourage new growth.
What happens if you eat raw sage?
Some species of sage, including common sage (Salvia officinalis), contain a chemical called thujone. Too much thujone can cause seizures and damage the liver and nervous system.
Can I use garden sage for smudging?
Garden or common sage will do the trick, too. Other smudging plants to use include cedar, sweetgrass, and sagebrush. Various herbs and wildflowers make as wonderful additions to your smudge stick. Resinous herbs you may have laying around that you can use include thyme, yarrow, lavender, rosemary, and pine.
Is garden sage invasive?
It does well planted as a low background herb plant in a border with other herbs and also in its own bed. What is this? Mediterranean sage can be invasive. so it is a good choice for containers if you don’t want it to take over your garden area.
What kind of sage is garden sage?
Salvia officinalis
sage, (Salvia officinalis), also called common sage or garden sage, aromatic herb of the mint family (Lamiaceae) cultivated for its pungent edible leaves. Sage is native to the Mediterranean region and is used fresh or dried as a flavouring in many foods, particularly in stuffings for poultry and pork and in sausages.
What do you do with sage in the winter?
Popular kitchen herbs that like the heat, such as rosemary and sage, should be brought indoors for winter. They will thrive in pots placed on or near a sunny windowsill, and you can use them year-round.
How do you trim sage for winter?
Sage bushes tolerate heavier pruning in mid to late winter while they are still in a semi-dormant state and not actively putting on new growth. Cut out all winter-damaged branches back to the nearest healthy wood. Also remove any branches that are crossed and rubbing together to prevent further damage.
Will sage grow back after winter?
Can sage survive winter? Sage is a cold-hardy herb. In most regions, particularly zones 5 – 8, most varieties will simply go dormant in the winter and come back the next spring.
When should I harvest sage?
Harvest sage in spring and summer when plants are actively growing and before they begin to flower. Sage leaves tend to lose some of their aroma after flowering, so it is best to harvest before this time. As summer closes and temperatures fall, sage leaf production slows down, stopping almost completely in winter.
Can you freeze sage leaves whole?
Yes, you can freeze sage for up to 6 months. You can either freeze whole sage leaves or you can slice sage leaves up and freeze them in ice cubes.
What is the best way to dry sage leaves?
Using a sharp knife, slice the sage into thin strips. Place a nonstick baking mat, piece of parchment on an oven tray or use a non stick baking sheet. Spread the sliced sage leaves in an even layer on the tray. Bake in 15 minute increments checking for dryness and repeat baking until dry to the touch.
Do you dry sage before burning?
Many people who burn smudge sticks as a religious practice INSIST on locally grown sage that was grown with ‘good intent’. If you ARE growing it, be sure to give it a light rinse and let it air dry BEFORE you make your bundles.
Do you wash sage leaves?
To clean sage leaves, pick them off from the main stalk, making sure that you leave behind any tough stem ends. Then give them a rinse under cool running water, followed by a spin in a salad spinner or a few presses between a couple layers of paper towels.
Can you hang sage to dry?
Sage is easy to air dry, making it the perfect herb for hang drying. If you want a quicker method, sage is also easy to dry in a food dehydrator or oven. After you dry the sage, store it in an airtight container.