How to Grow and Use Sage

This year my sage plant is just beautiful. I actually bought it as part of a Thanksgiving herb basket back in November. Since I am in a warm climate, it wintered over after I transplanted it to a larger container. Living in the north, it had never done that before. Read on for tips on how to grow and use sage in your kitchen.

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My sage just keeps producing large soft leaves. It is really beautiful

Yet, I just let it sit there in its container because I didn’t know what to do with it.

The only time we had ever really used sage was during Thanksgiving with the turkey!

So, I went on a mission to find out how to use and preserve this wonderful herb before it was wasted to the bugs and the heat.

How to Grow Sage

Fist of all, knowing how to grow sage is the beginning step to a successful harvest.

Needs:
Full sun
Well drained soil

Sage grows best in a hot dry climate. (No wonder mine is liking this hot spring in Arizona).

It is a perennial in zones 4-8. Keep your sage happy in medium to full sun and well drained soil. It is best to wait to water until the soil is dry.

If you are just starting out with sage, you can get a clipping from a friend or a small plant from a nursery.

Starting from seed is not the easiest way to get your sage going, yet can be done if you have more experience.

It should be planted 2 feet apart as they will grow up to one to two feet in height and bush out quite a bit.

Sage does well in the garden, along a perennial border, or in containers on a patio.

Companion Plants for Sage

The reason I started planting herbs in my garden is for the benefit they gave to the rest of my vegetables I was growing.

Sage can be planted next to cabbage, tomatoes, strawberries, carrots, and rosemary. It is not good to be planted near cucumbers, however.

How to Best Harvest Sage

It is best to pick sage early in the morning after the dew has dried. The flavor and aroma of the leaves will be the best at this time due to the high concentration of essential oils.

You can either pick a few leaves at a time (just above the spot where two leaves meet) to use in recipes, or harvest a large amount before the flowers start to bloom.

It’s a good idea to not harvest too heavily the first year as the plant is getting established. After that, you can harvest heavily up to three times in one season.

Know that sage really is best used fresh in recipes, yet it can be dried and saved for later. It will be stronger in flavor. You will also want to keep the leaves whole and crush when needed to preserve the best flavor.

I used my dehydrator, like this kind, to dry the sage and other herbs at the same time. It took overnight and they were dry enough to put into a glass jar. You could also hang up the sage bundles in a dark dry place for a few weeks to get the herb dried out.

Ways to Use Up Your Sage

Since all we ever used sage for around here was turkey, I needed some new ideas.

And boy am I glad that I searched out recipes because I found some good ones.

Brown Butter Sage Sauce
This sauce was super easy and excellent over ravoli. It would also be good with gnocchi, and as suggested by Florentina it is also perfect with scallops, salmon, chicken, and steak. I’m thinking I will try it on salmon next.

No-Kneed Sage and Olive Focaccia
AnneMarie’s beautiful photographs drew me in to her website and I sure am glad I found her recipe for focaccia. I hadn’t made this type of bread before, but it was fairy easy and the sage just pops! I would reduce the salt a bit and add even more sage the next time around.

Sweet Potato Sage Scones
This recipe is on my list to try soon with sage. The savory scones sound amazing. Let me know if you try them!