Sage - Fresh from the Garden

Here's Sage. He's just himself!

Oops! Not sagebrush — get the culinary sage. I love to work in the kitchen!

Sage is native to the Mediterranean and a member of the mint family. It is a hardy perennial plant that overwinters well even in the north. Once established, it is reasonably drought tolerant.

It has historically been used as both a medicinal and culinary plant. The Romans considered it sacred. Sage's reputation as a powerful healing plant has maintained itself over time and throughout many cultures — it has been popularized and even revered by the Greeks, Romans, Arabic cultures, Chinese, and Americans.

Sage has been considered an effective anti-perspirant and food preservative. It has antibiotic qualities and lowers blood sugar. Nursing mothers are urged to avoid sage, as it may decrease the flow of milk during lactation.

Sage is generally regarded as having warming energy.

Please see your health provider for guidance on your own health program.

In the contemporary US cuisine, sage is the taste of Thanksgiving dinner. It's found in stuffings of all sorts, paired with poultry or pork, and is particularly delicious as a seasoning for fall squash soups! Try a little chopped sage in your next omlette.

Sage — Try this: Peel, seed, and cube a butternut squash. Cook in a quart of chicken or vegetable stock until tender, or about 45 minutes. Puree using an immersion blender or food processor or mash with a potato masher. Add in 1 tsp of chopped fresh sage and 1/2 tsp of chopped fresh rosemary, salt and pepper to taste. (Optional: If you happen to have some fresh kale on hand, chop some up, add it to the top of the soup pot, let it steam for a few minutes, and then stir in.) Remove from heat and stir in 1/2 cup of milk or cream. Enjoy!