Culinary Herbs: Sage

The perennial culinary herb sage, found naturally on dry hills in southern Europe and northern Africa, was one of the most highly esteemed of all plants in ancient times because of its reputed health-insuring properties.

 

The almost woody stems of sage rise usually 15 to 18 inches high. The leaves are oblong, pale green, finely toothed, lance-shaped, wrinkled and rough. The usually bluish-lilac, sometimes pink or white, flowers form loose terminal spikes or clusters. Over 7,000 of the small globular, almost-black seeds, which retain their vitality about three years, are required to weigh an ounce.

 

Sage does best upon mellow well-drained soil of moderate fertility. Growing sage can be done by sowing seeds in drills at the rate of two seeds to the inch and covered about one-quarter inch deep.

 

If not cut too closely or too late in the season sage plants stand a fair chance to survive moderate winters. The specimens which succeed in doing so may be divided and transplanted to new soil with little trouble. This is the common practice in home gardens and is usually more satisfactory than growing a new lot of plants from seed each spring.

 

For drying, sage leaves are cut when the flowers appear. They are dried in the shade. If a second cutting is to be made, and if it is desired that the plants shall live over winter, this second cutting must not be made later than September in the North, because the new stems will not have time to mature before frost, and the plants will probably winterkill.

 

Sage seed is produced in open cups on slender branches, which grow well above the leaves. It turns black when ripe. The stems that bear it should be cut during a dry afternoon as soon as the seeds are ripe and placed on sheets to cure. Several cuttings are necessary, because the seed ripens unevenly. When any one lot of stems on a sheet is dry, a light flail or a rod will serve to beat the seed loose. Then small sieves and a gentle breeze will separate the seed from the trash.

 

After screening the seed should be spread on a sheet in a warm, airy place for a week or so to dry still more before being stored in cloth sacks. A fair yield of leaves may be secured after seed has been gathered.

Because of their highly aromatic odor, sage leaves have long been used for seasoning dressings, especially to disguise the too-great lusciousness of strong meats, such as pork, goose and duck. This culinary herb is one of the most important flavoring ingredients in certain kinds of sausage and cheese.

 

 

Kains, M.G. (2007). Project Gutenberg eBook of Culinary Herbs: Their Cultivation, Harvesting, Curing and Uses. Retrieved March 28, 2008, from the Project Gutenberg Web site: http://www.gutenberg.org/files/21414/21414-h/21414-h.htm.