Herb Of The Week - Sage - Wise advice on sage

[Guest guest]

Here is an an article from Lancaster Newspapers on Sage and how to grow

Common Garden Sage (Salvia officinalis) right at home

 

Have a great weekend folks!

 

*Smile*

Chris (list mom)

http://www.alittleolfactory.com

 

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http://specialsections.lancasteronline.com/home/0309/wiseadvice.shtm

 

 

Wise advice on sage

 

 

Remember the age-old advice, " A wise old sage? " It comes from the herbal

plant, sage, meaning wisdom and health.

 

Sage has a lot of uses in the home and in cooking. Pat Carpenter, owner

of The Village Herb Shop, 4298 Division Highway, Blue Ball, advises that

it is important to first know what you are ingesting. There are

ornamental sage plants and digestive sage plants. Knowing the Latin

names for the digestive plants will save you a trip to the emergency

room of your local hospital. Salvia officinalis is the Latin name for

editable sage. Sage comes from the mint family and was used by the

Romans.

 

Sage is most familiar as a poultry season, but there's more to it than

that. It can be used as an herbal tea to soothe sore throats. Or, it can

be used as a seasoning in cheeses and mustard dipping sauces for

pretzels. Additionally, sage can be used for an herbal bread stuffing

and when baking breads. Sage can also be used in egg dishes.

 

In addition to the traditional green sage, there is an edible purple

sage (Salvias officinalis Œpurpurea'). The purple sage is more medicinal

in nature than the traditional green variety. The flowers from purple

sage can be used in salads and to make colorful vinegars.

 

" For a gorgeous lavender color white wine vinegar, fill a jar half full

with purple sage and fill the rest of the jar with white wine vinegar

(found at most grocery stores), " shares Carpenter. " Do not use any

water. Shake the jar and wait a week. Within a week you will have a

beautiful purple-colored vinegar. "

 

Sage is easy to grow. According to Carpenter " sage has no pest problems.

It's a perennial, and it is hardy; so, it can handle our climate. "

 

You can begin your sage garden indoors or outdoors with seeds or a

cutting put directly into potting soil. It needs soil that has good

drainage and not a lot of alkaline. Also, don't use fertilizer on sage —

it will weaken the plant flavor.

 

When you water sage, make sure that you are watering " deeply into the

roots; stay low to the plant. Don't just give the plant a squirt of the

hose, " advises Carpenter. " Sage can deal with dry soil. It is best to

water either in the morning before 9:00 AM or after the sun goes down at

night. "

 

Sage is easy to store. For harvesting fresh sage, cut the plant in the

cool of the morning. Then, wash it in lukewarm water. " Make sure you

clean it because dirt can get into the leaf hairs, " Carpenter says.

 

Lay the washed plants on paper towels to dry. Ceiling fans and air

conditioning speed the drying process. " You don't want mold to grow on

the sage. "

 

To hang sage, separate it into six stems per bunch at 46 inches long.

Bunch them together with rubberbands; making sure that there are no

leaves stuck in the bands. Then, hang them anywhere in your house —

doorknobs, towel racks, on the walls, etc. The attic is also a great

place to dry out sage. But avoid the garage, says Carpenter, " the garage

is not the greatest place because of all of the car fumes. "

 

Dry sage will be crunchy. To ensure that you completely dried your sage,

you can stick the bunches on a cookie sheet and place them in the oven.

" I turn on the stove for 30 seconds at any temperature. Then, I turn it

off and prop the door open with a spoon. If you go until the door

clicks, it is too far out. In order to avoid over-drying them, stay

right there, " Carpenter says.

 

After you are finished drying the sage, store it in a glass container.

Keep the leaves whole while storing to protect the oil sacs that are

found in the leaf cells. Crumble the leaves when you are ready to use

them in cooking or in tea.

 

To get sage recipes or to learn more about the herb, Carpenter highly

recommends Favorite Recipes with Herbs (Good Books) by Dawn Ranck and

Phyllis Pellman Good.

 

Start growing sage this fall indoors to transplant into your herb garden

next spring. Share it with family and friends. Then, sit back as a

" wise, old sage, " and enjoy your bounty.

 

 

©2003 Lancaster Newspapers, Inc.