Sage Herb
Sage, the herb has been used for cooking for a long time now, if gives flavor
to pork sausage, the aroma and slight bitterness must be used precisely to give
adequate taste. Correctly applied it complements the flavor of chicken, rabbits
and fish. A good cook will know how to get the most out of the special taste.
The taste is powerful, and the quantity should be strictly controlled or the
whole meal will taste to the sage herb employed.
The plant has long leaves and can reach 3 feet, they can grow looking
disorganized, stems should be kept under control, not allowing to grow too tall
or the plant will start to tangle up in a few years. You can cut to ground level
or leaving a foot or so and have the plant grow anew.
You can simply cut it, wash it well and add to your meal, although it is
often collected beforehand. The stems are gathered and let to dry. Do not expect
it to become hard and to crumble, it will remain oily and feel like leather.
Store in a dry place, when needed you can simply take what you need and chop it
to a fine powder. If the leaves grow old, they will take a dull appearance and
should be pruned and discarded. The sage plant usually dries up in winter in
cold regions, you can cut some stems, plant it in a pot and take it inside the
house, if the sage herb does not survive the winter, then you will have a young
plant ready to be transplanted into the garden again.
There are several species of the sage herb, each with it's own
characteristics that make them have different uses. The Artemisa variety is very
bitter, this one is great as an insect repellant, it can be sprayed with alcohol
after the plant is boiled to let all it's juices out. This variety is not
intended for cooking. All have some medicinal qualities as well, the sage herb
can be used as an antiseptic and antifungal. Improves the digestion, and this is
why it is sometimes used with heavy meals. If will also help control diarrhea.
The sage herb has a wonderful aroma, the "fruit sage", "pineapple sage" and
sage elegans among others give the most beautiful smell, and is sometimes used
with sachets, to complement the scented combinations. It can also be used for
tea, combined with black tea or by itself, the flowers are collected for this
purpose.
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