Garden Sage: The Wise and Wonderful Herb
By Brenda Hyde
The old English word "sage" means a wise man, and this term
comes from the belief that sage was thought to impart wisdom
and improve one's memory. I can't vouch for my memory
improving since planting sage, but I certainly
feel wise for buying it that first summer I started growing herbs.
My first sage plant cost $1.50 and the roots were shooting
out bottom of the pot. I was so excited to start my herb
garden that I didn't know what I would use it for, but I liked
the way it looked. Since then I have moved my sage three
times and no doubt abused the poor thing, but it flourishes.
For first time herb growers it's an excellent choice. Sage
thrives in hot dry soil, and can be harvested continuously until
the first hard frost. The variety I have is the common Garden
Sage or Salvia Officinalis.
Sage makes a great herb vinegar combined with thyme and
oregano. I snip it into cooked green beans and sauté it
with garlic and olive oil. Fried sage is a neat little garnish
and treat. Heat oil as you would for French Fries. Slip single
leaves into the hot oil for a few seconds; remove and drain.
You can use the fried sage for garnish or salad toppings.
Sage has a reputation of being very strong, but I find it a
wonderful accent to vegetables and meats. I use only a
few leaves at a time and have been pleased with the results.
Sage needs fairly dry soil and full sun to thrive. Resist the
urge to water it between rains; it simply does not need extra
waterings. Sage does tend to become woody and will benefit
from cutting back to 6 or 8 inches from the ground. I do
this in the spring or early summer. It will grow back for
another harvest. We are discussing the common Garden
Sage or Salvia Officinalis. There are many variations of
sage available and most of those are not as hardy. Feel
free to substitute and experiment with other sages in the
recipes provided.
Havesting and Preserving
Sage can be frozen, dried or used fresh. To freeze simply
rinse and pat dry the whole leaves and place in resealable freezer
bags. There is no need to thaw before using. For drying, hang the stalks
upside down in a dry, dark place and crumble into jars when
completely dry. I prefer fresh or frozen sage; the taste is quite
a bit different than the dried.
Sage brings to mind turkey stuffing for most people,
and after that they can't really think of many uses for
it. I was the same way until I bought my first garden
sage plant. The fresh leaves stay nice well into the
cold weather, and they can be frozen whole for use
later as well. A fresh leaf or two of sage is wonderful in
apple dishes, in green beans, with pork and poultry plus
stews and soups. One plant is plenty for a family!
Try making this simple glaze for turkey, ham or pork roast.
Sage Molasses Glaze
Ingredients:
1/2 cup molasses
1/4 cup red onion, minced
5 or 6 fresh sage leaves, finely chopped
1/2 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon kosher or sea salt
Whisk all ingredients in a small bowl until combined.
Use to glaze boneless or bone-in turkey breasts, roasting
chicken, Cornish hens or other poultry. Brush on the inside
and outside before roasting, then glaze 1/2 way through
cooking. You may need to pour a little bit of water in the
bottom of the roasting pan to avoid the glaze dripping and
scorching. You can also try on pork roasts or hams.
Garlic Sage Butter
Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1 Tbsp. chopped fresh sage
2 large minced garlic cloves
1/4 tsp. salt
Mix all together or process quickly in a food
processor. Chill and serve with rolls or use
it on vegetables such as green beans, brussel
sprouts, cabbage or other green vegetables.
Using Fresh Sage For the Holidays
You can garnish holiday meat or vegetable platters with
fresh sage leaves from the garden or market. The red
of cranberries contrasts beautifully to the green sage
leaves. Place both around the holiday meat platter for
an elegant presentation.
A Living Herb Centerpiece Wreath:
Use sage and other herbs that may still be in the garden
such as thyme to make a fresh wreath centerpiece. You
may lay it flat on the table with a pillar candle in the middle
or a hurricane lamp.
You'll need:
wreath form
sphagnum moss
floral oasis
fresh herbs: thyme, lavender, rosemary, and sage
floral wire
Line the wreath form with the moss. Cut the oasis to fit inside
the wreath form. Soak the oasis so it holds the water, then
gently press it into the form. At this point you can take fresh
herb springs and make small "bouquets" wrapping the floral
wire around the stems, then make a hole in the oasis and
insert the sprigs. OR take small potted herbs and insert the
pots into the oasis, evenly around the form. Then fill in around
the sprigs or pots with moss, then into the moss you can set
ornaments, pinecones or other natural elements. Since the
wreath is sitting as a centerpiece it's easier to add to it since
it won't be hanging. Mist the wreath occasionally to help it
last longer.
MORE SAGE RECIPES
Stuffing Herb Blend
This is a stuffing blend using fresh herbs.
Ingredients:
6 tablespoons sage
1 tablespoon thyme
3 tablespoons sweet marjoram
2 tablespoons flat-leaf parsley
Combine together by chopping or mincing.
Keep up to one week in the refrigerator. Use
to season stuffing.
Roasted New Potatoes with Shallots and Sage
From Bon Appétit, November 1997
Ingredients:
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) butter or margarine
1/4 cup chopped fresh sage
4 pounds medium-size red-skinned potatoes, scrubbed, quartered
1 teaspoon dried rubbed sage
16 shallots, peeled, halved lengthwise
Preheat oven to 375°F. Cook butter and fresh sage in small
saucepan over medium-heat until butter simmers and is
well flavored with sage, about 4 minutes. Toss potatoes with
dried sage and 2 tablespoons sage butter in bowl. Sprinkle
with salt and pepper. Transfer potatoes to 2 baking sheets.
Bake 20 minutes. Toss shallots in same bowl with 1 tablespoon
sage butter. Season with salt and pepper. Divide shallots
between baking sheets. Roast until potatoes and shallots are
tender and golden, turning occasionally, about 35 minutes longer.
Transfer potatoes and shallots to large bowl. Add remaining sage
butter; toss. Season with salt and pepper. Makes 8 Servings.
Herb and Shallot Butter
Ingredients:
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
1 small shallot, minced
4 teaspoons minced fresh rosemary
2 teaspoon minced fresh sage
Stir together butter, shallot and herbs. Use this for fresh vegetables,
a steak topping or for bread. Makes 1/2 cup butter.
Garden Herb Medley
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons oil
2 medium zucchini
1 sweet red pepper
1 green bell pepper
1 yellow pepper
1/2 tsp. salt
4 sage leaves, cut into thin strips
1 garlic clove; minced
Pepper to taste
Cut all of the vegetable into julienne strips. In a large skillet
heat oil, saute zucchini and peppers until tender stirring
occasionally, with lid on for about 5-8 minutes. Add garlic
and sage; continue to cook until crisp tender. Do not allow
garlic to scorch. 4-6 servings.
Sage and Bean Pasta
Ingredients:
8 ounces penne pasta
3/4 cups diced carrots
1 1/2 cups canned green beans, or fresh that have been cooked
2 tablespoon oil
2 tsp. minced garlic
3-4 sage leaves, chopped
salt and pepper to taste
Cook pasta as directed, adding carrots the last 5 minutes.
Drain, and place in serving bowl to keep warm. Saute drained
beans, garlic and sage in the olive oil. Cook until garlic
is lightly colored and beans are hot. Add to pasta; season
with salt and pepper and toss to mix. Makes 5 1/2 cups.
Beans, Tomatoes and Herbs
3 cups canned white beans
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of hot red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon each chopped fresh thyme, sage, and rosemary
3 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley (reserve 1 tablespoon)
4 plum tomatoes, diced
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced
Grated Parmesan cheese (optional)
1/4 cup or less water
Rinse and drain beans. In a large skillet over medium low
heat, place olive oil, garlic, red pepper flakes, and chopped
herbs (except for one tablespoon parsley). Sauté for 2 to 3
minutes, then add tomatoes, salt, and pepper, and sauté
until tomatoes begin to soften, about 2 more minutes. Gently
stir in beans, adding water to moisten (4 to 5 tablespoons).
Cover pan and cook until heated through. Remove from heat
and stir in sliced red onion. Drizzle with extra olive oil and top
with remaining fresh parsley. Offer grated cheese at the table.
Serves 4 to 6.
Carrots and Sage
Ingredients:
1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 pounds baby carrots
1/4 medium onion, cut into long thin slivers
10 large fresh sage leaves
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup canned chicken or vegetable broth
Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
Sauté the carrots, onion and sage about 10 minutes
to brown the onion. Season with salt and pepper as
the vegetables cook. Pour in the broth, lowing to a
simmer. Cover and cook 15 minutes, or until carrots
are tender when pierced with a knife. As they cook,
watch carefully, adding a little water if necessary.
Before serving, uncover and simmer off any liquid,
leaving only enough to coat the carrots in a moist
glaze. Taste for seasoning and serve hot.
Red Potatoes With Sage
Ingredients:
3 tablespoons chopped sage
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 pounds red potatoes
1 teaspoon herb salt or seasoned salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. In a large bowl, stir
together oil, potatoes, salt, pepper, and 2 tbsp. of
the sage. Mix until coated. Pour a small amount
of water in a shallow pan and lay the potatoes on
the pan, in the water, spreading them out evenly.
Cover tightly with aluminum foil. Roast potatoes for
15 minutes. Remove foil and roast 15 minutes more.
Turn the potatoes over and roast 10 to 15 minutes
more until crisp. Sprinkle with the remaining sage
and serve.
Basil And Sage Butter
Ingredients:
6 tbsp. butter
2 tbsp. olive oil
1/4 cup packed fresh sage
1/4 cup packed fresh basil
1 tsp. mashed anchovy, fillet
Combine the oil, butter, sage and basil in a
small saucepan and cook over low heat for
10 minutes. Let the mixture sit for 10 minutes
at room temperature. Strain the butter and
while still hot stir in the anchovy until it melts
into the hot butter. You can use this to baste
pork that has been grilled or chicken breasts.
You can drizzle it over as a sauce or brush on.
Sage can be used in herbal tea blends as well, but
if you are pregnant or nursing it should be avoided.
Delightful Herb Tea Blend
Ingredients:
1/4 cup dried orange, pineapple or apple mint
2 tablespoons dried rosemary
1 tablespoon dried sage
2 tablespoons lemon thyme or lemon balm, dried
1 tablespoon dried, calendula petals
3 tablespoons dried chamomile flowers
Combine the dried herbs together and store in an
airtight container. Use 1 tsp. for a cup of tea.
About the author:
Brenda Hyde is editor of Old Fashioned Living, a freelance writer,
cook, gardener and Mom. Growing and using herbs has become one of
her favorite things. For information on subscribing to our newsletters Click
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