What to do with all of the sage?

[WitchyOoman]

I have these huge bushes of sage left in my garden. They've been growing for two or three summers (some for two years, some for three). The leaves are humongous! They're mostly the size of my palm, for goodness sake! Sage is supposed to be an annual, here, not a perennial... never mind that - obviously they overwinter in my garden just fine, don't they?!

I don't use that much sage. What can I do with it to use it? I hate wasting homegrown crops...

I dislike chicken, so we don't eat it often - and when we do, hubby prefer to make it using his southeastern Asian recipes, which don't use sage.
It's just the two of us, so I rarely make a turkey breast, turkey parts aren't often in the supermarket, and I only make a turkey once or twice a year for Thanksgiving and sometimes either Christmas or New Year's.
I certainly don't go to all the bother of making homemade sausage any more... besides, with all of the delicious offerings in the pork stores of nearby heavily-German Union, NJ - and with the local Italian community's stores - it's folly to make my own, anyhow, unless I get venison or other game from hunter buddies.

What else can I do with all of this beautiful and delicious sage???

It's that time of year when the bright scarlet sage flowers are tall, and bobbing in the breeze, nagging me to please do something with their leaves! dwl

[kia027]

Re: What to do with all of the sage?

Hi Witchy
Check this website for recipes that include sage.

You can also dry it and make a smudge stick out of it too no?

[WitchyOoman]

Re: What to do with all of the sage?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Kia</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Hi Witchy
Check this website for recipes that include sage.

You can also dry it and make a smudge stick out of it too no? </div></div>
Yes, Kia, but smudge sticks no longer fit into my spiritual life; I'm now Catholic. lol I've been Catholic for a couple of years now.

Thanks for the recipes.

[kia027]

Re: What to do with all of the sage?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: WitchyOoman</div><div class="ubbcode-body"><div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Kia</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Hi Witchy
Check this website for recipes that include sage.

You can also dry it and make a smudge stick out of it too no? </div></div>
Yes, Kia, but smudge sticks no longer fit into my spiritual life; I'm now Catholic. lol I've been Catholic for a couple of years now.

Thanks for the recipes. </div></div>

Catholics don't mind smudge sticks.. Think of it as a different form of incense

[WitchyOoman]

Re: What to do with all of the sage?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Kia</div><div class="ubbcode-body">
Catholics don't mind smudge sticks.. Think of it as a different form of incense </div></div>

[WitchyOoman]

Re: What to do with all of the sage?

Those recipes look good, too! Thanks again, Kia.

[sistacaf]

Re: What to do with all of the sage?

BOAL kia. i was gonna come een and say the same things exacty - but i see u got it ALL covered!

[Suesumba]

Re: What to do with all of the sage?

dry it and make tea. sage is a natural antibiotic. i'm gonna go look up some info and post. nice seeing you around WW.

[Suesumba]

Re: What to do with all of the sage?

Sage (Salvia officinalis)
Sage Benefits

Sage has one of the longest histories of use of any culinary or medicinal herb. Ancient Egyptians used it as a fertility drug (Bown, 1995). In the first century C.E. Greek physician Dioscorides reported that the aqueous decoction of sage stopped bleeding of wounds and cleaned ulcers and sores. He also recommended sage juice in warm water for hoarseness and cough. It was used by herbalists externally to treat sprains, swelling, ulcers, and bleeding. Internally, a tea made from sage leaves has had a long history of use to treat sore throats and coughs; often by gargling. It was also used by herbalists for rheumatism, excessive menstrual bleeding, and to dry up a mother's milk when nursing was stopped. It was particularly noted for strengthening the nervous system, improving memory, and sharpening the senses. Sage was officially listed in the United States Pharmacopoeia from 1840 to 1900.

Sage Tea or infusion of Sage is a valuable agent in the delirium of fevers and in the nervous excitement frequently accompanying brain and nervous diseases. It has a considerable reputation as a remedy, given in small and often-repeated doses. It is highly serviceable as a stimulant tonic in debility of the stomach and nervous system and weakness of digestion generally. It was for this reason that the Chinese valued it, giving it the preference to their own tea. It is considered a useful medicine in typhoid fever and beneficial in biliousness and liver complaints, kidney troubles, haemorrhage from the lungs or stomach, for colds in the head as well as sore throat, quinsy, measles, for pains in the joints, lethargy and palsy. It has been used to check excessive perspiration in phthisis cases, and is useful as an emmenagogue. A cup of the strong infusion will be found good to relieve nervous headache.

The German Commission E approved internal use for mild gastrointestinal upset and excessive sweating as well as for external use in conditions of inflamed mucous membranes of the mouth and throat. An unpublished, preliminary German study with people suffering from excessive perspiration found that either a dry leaf extract or an infusion of the leaf reduced sweating by as much as 50%.

In Germany, sage tea is also applied topically as a rinse or gargled for inflammations. Sage extract, tincture, and essential oil are all used in prepared medicines for mouth and throat and as gastrointestinal remedies in fluid (e.g., juice) and solid dosage forms (Leung and Foster, 1996; Wichtl and Bisset, 1994).

Sage has been used effectively for throat infections, dental abscesses, infected gums and mouth ulcers. The phenolic acids in Sage are particularly potent against Staphylococcus aureus. In vitro, sage oil has been shown to be effective against both Escherichia coli and Salmonella species, and against filamentous fungi and yeasts such as Candida albicans. Sage also has an astringent action due to its relatively high tannin content and can be used in the treatment of infantile diarrhoea.

Its antiseptic action is of value where there is intestinal infection. Rosmarinic acid contributes to the herb's anti-inflammatory activity.

Sage has an anti-spasmodic action which reduces tension in smooth muscle, and it can be used in a steam inhalation for asthma attacks. It is an excellent remedy for helping to remove mucous congestion in the airways and for checking or preventing secondary infection. It may be taken as a carminative to reduce griping and other symptoms of indigestion, and is also of value in the treatment of dysmenorrhoea. Its bitter component stimulates upper digestive secretions, intestinal mobility, bile flow, and pancreatic function, while the volatile oil has a carminative and stimulating effect on the digestion. It has a vermifuge action. There also seems to be a more general relaxant effect, so that the plant is suitable in the treatment of nervousness, excitability and dizziness. It helps to fortify a generally debilitated nervous system.

read

[WitchyOoman]

Re: What to do with all of the sage?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: SueSumba</div><div class="ubbcode-body"> i'm gonna go look up some info and post. nice seeing you around WW. </div></div>
Oh, wow, thanks Sue!

So maybe I should freeze a lot of it?
I find that if I put a paper towel in a gallon zip-lock bag, and fill it carefully with sage (or other green herb) leaves, and close it - getting all of the air out - and put it in the freezer... green herbs last a very long time. And they're still fresh, not dried.

Thank you for all the great age info!

[Suesumba]

Re: What to do with all of the sage?

that's great info on the green herbs and keeping them in the fridge. i do that with spinach. buy it in bulk, wash it and freeze it for future use.

i find that drying herbs is the best bet. hang them upside from root side up so the sap will drain into the leaves.