Sage, Herb of the Year 2001
SAGE, THE INTERNATIONAL HERB ASSOCIATION'S HERB OF THE YEAR 2001.
Sage- Salvia officinalis
Is a hardy and trouble-free herb, and has a long and honored past.
It was believed to improve memory and give people wisdom and long life; some thought it could bring immortatlity, and was often planted on graves. One saying was "Why should a man die whilst sage grows in his garden?"
It has a respected place in history, it is so little appreciated in the modern kitchen. All too often,old, bottled dried sage is stuck in a cabainet over the stove and pulled out only when it's time to stuff the holiday bird. One little old lady said "You know, I've had my jar of sage for at least ten years, and it's still good. "Well, it may be good enough for her purposes, but it cannot compare with fresh sage from a garden.
The genus Salvia has more than 800 species, many of them showy and fragrant.
Garden Sage ( Salvia officinalis), the most widely known and used of the salvias, is an erect perennial shurb with gray-green, pungent, pebbly leaves on long stems that become woody with age. It produces lovely spikes of lavender to purple flowers in midsummer.
Grown easily from seed or cuttings, the species is variable, with a range of leaf and flower hues.
Sage was grown wild along the Mediterranean coast., an Adriatic Coast region of Croatia and Dalmatia, it has been gathered traditionally as a cottage industry. Dalmatian sage has always been considered the finest quality and has been traded throughout Europe.
Sage tea was a popular beverage in medieval England and continental Europe. Later, when the spice trade opened, Chinese became so in love with sage tea that they would trade Dutch sea captains several pounds of tea for one pound of sage.
By early 18th century, sage had crossed the Atlantic, and was a staple in many American gardens, including Thomas Jefferson's. A colonial housewife kept it in her kitchen garden plot, right outside her kitchen door,very handy for use not only in her food but in simple cosmetics and as a hair rinse.
Sage is still prized for giving dark hair a healthy shine.
Ancient scholars praised the herb's therapeutic virtues and remommended it for all sorts of human ailments. Salvia is a latin word meaning "to save" or "to heal." Herbalists today still consider sage a versatile medicinal herb. Tea is prescribed to settle stomachs, as an antiseptic mouthwash and gargle, for temporary control of perspiration, to reduce blood glucose levels in diabetics, and to dry up mother's milk at weaning time. Extracted sage oil, however, should never be ingested. it is used in some perfumes and deoderants, and its antioxidant properties have been known and used in preserving food, but 30 to 50 percent of the oil consists of a toxic ketone called thujone. It was used in absinthe liqueur, which caused hallucinations, psychosis, and convulsions even in moderate drinkers. Cooked in food or infused in tea, sage loses much of the thujone, but pregnant women, nursing mothers, and epileptics should avoid drinking more than 2 cups daily of a strong tea of sage.
Although it is hardy and trouble-free most places it is hard to grow in the humid south, it is subject to sudden wilt and fungal diseases.
It is best planted alongside herbs that require more frequent watering.It is more likely to survive when planted along or with gray plants such as santolina and english thyme than with moisture lovers such as mint and basil.
Growing Sage should be in well-drained soil in sunny raised beds or large containers, keep it on the dry side. In our northern gardens sage will tolerate a little light shade, but the same holds true about the watering.
Sage may be started from seed indoors in spring. Just press the seeds into moist potting medium, or barely cover them. If you sow them in flats, transplant them into individual pots as soon as the first pair or two of leaves develops. They need plenty of light and harden them off gradually before moving them to your garden. (hardening off means, move them outdoors during the day and bring them back in at night for several days to get them use to the change in temperature).
Allow at least 18 inches between plants. A single plant will supply more than enough leaves for a family: a three year old plant may be 3 feet tall and just as broad.
Never harvest more than a third of the foliage at one picking. After blooming period, cut a few stems back to stimulate new growth at the base of the plant.
Here in the North we cut back old stems by half in spring, but do not prune sage plants after September, as it may stimulate new growth which will cause it to be killed in winter. It may be propagated by stem cuttings or divisions in spring. Rooting the stem cuttings is a way to go if you want a large number of plants; divisions are most easily made using younger, less woody plants.
Just pin them to the ground, cover this part of the stem with soil, and check back after a month or two.
When they look green and hardy cut the stem between the two. Wallah!! You have a new plant.
Although it can be left outdoors all winter in the southern gardens, in the north we must bring them inside, I have left some out of doors all winter and they have made it. In Spring our gardens get so wet from spring rains, they would probably drown.
Salvia Officinalis "Berggarten" is from Germany. It's blue-gray leaves are broad and rounded, about 3 inches long. It grows in a compact mound, making a handsome statement in your garden or containers. When it blooms it has a blue flower.
DRYING SAGE:
Many people prefer to remove the leaves from the stems before drying. Place in a shallow tray or wire rack or in a basket lined with paper. In a cool room away from heat or strong light, they will be crispy dry in several days. Stir and turn the leaves at least once daily.
If you use your oven there is a danger of mold. Sage is not good dried in your microwave, it loses all its flavor. Store in airtight container in a cool, dark place. Freezing or refrigerating seems to preserve the flavor best.
It was served as a medicinal tea and as a preservative in foods for many centuries, but not widely used as a food flavoring until the 17th century. English found many culinary uses for sage, including stuffing poultry and pork, and in the famous derby cheese, in which fresh sage leaves are layered in a cheddar like cheese to create a green marbled effect.
By the 18th century, in England, sage was used as an ingredient in recipes: like: meatballs, wrapped in sage leaves, batter and fried; sage leaves finedy chopped with onion and simmered in a broth for roast pork, goose, or duck.
It was believed to make rich food more digestible. A cookbook published in 1821 called for claret-steeped seasoning mixture, of sage, lemon peel, salt, shallot, cayenne pepper.
Fresh sage leaves are delicate and lightly flavored with oils. (To me fresh sage smells a little like pee.)
If the stems are brown and woody cut them off before cooking, but if they are soft they will cook up or grill fine.
SAGE FOR COOKING:
To flavor a pizza with chopped sage, sliced tomatoes, grilled onions, and cheese.
Grilled sage and cheese sandwiches on pumpernickel or rye bread.
Sage wine, steep 1 c. of fresh leaves in a fifth of claret, rose or white wine.
Herbed butter, by blending 1 T. each of chopped fresh sage, sweet marjoram, chieves and parsley with 1 c. softened butter or margarine.
Make pesto with equal parts of sage, sweet marjoram, and parsley and blend in walnuts and parmesan cheese.
Add 1 t. of chopped fresh sage along with a bit of your favorite herbal mustard to 1 c. white sauce or cheese sauce. Serve over macaroni, new potatoes, or steamed green vegetables.
Toss pasta with chopped sage, garlic, and olive oil or butter for a simple and delectable dish.
Add 1 T. chopped fresh sage to a favorite corn muffin or biscuit recipe.
Knead chopped fresh sage into hearty wheat, rye or whole grain bread dough for savory bread or rolls.
Scatter sprigs of sage, bay leaves, sweet marjoram, and thyme around the pan when roasting your turkey, chicken, lamb, pork, or beef, baste with white wine to keep the herbs moist.
Add chopped or small whole sage leaves to cabbage or sauerkraut dishes along with caraway and apples for a delicious change.
Roast thickly sliced potatoes with olive oil, garlic, chopped fresh sage, salt, and freshly ground black pepper.
Add minced fresh sage leaves to the breading for fried chicken.
Sage alone or combined with other herbs can flavor poultry, meats, sauces, vegetable dishes, and cheese spreads. Don't be afraid to us fresh sage as the only seasoning. But if combined you get new and exciting tastes to serve to friends and family.
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