Plant Allies: Focus on Sage
My very first encounter with culinary sage was in the 10th grade. My Italian teacher invited our class to a cooking workshop at her home and had us walk through her herb garden and then learn to make gnocchi with sage and butter (gnocchi con burro e salvia). From the moment I smelled the resinous and earthy green leaves I was hooked. If you’ve never eaten a sage leaf fried crispy in butter, I highly recommend it!
How to Recognize Sage
Salvia officinalis more commonly known as sage, is a soft green plant with elongated ovate leaves that are opposing. The surface of the leaf is soft, but looks much like aged leather. The stem is squared as is the case for mint family plants. Would you have guessed that mint, horehound and sage are in the same family (Lamiaceae)?
There are an incredible number of wild sage varieties, but don’t mistake them for sage brush (Artemisia tridentata) in the wormwood family. You will be sorely disappointed. Though Atermisia has amazing medicinal properties, you definitely don’t want to put on your turkey or on your gnocchi as it is very bitter.
Properties
Edible Parts: leaves
Energetics: drying and warming
Family: Lamiaceae
Identification: Square stem, oval elongated leaves, opposing leaves, white-sage green in color, flowers can be white or pink and look like little balls
Habitat: dry Mediterranean climates. Mostly domesticated and found in gardens.
Salvia officinalis is also anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial, two great reasons I use it in this soap beyond it’s lovely camphorous smell. It can bring comfort to irritated tissues as well.
Want a soap that smells like sage? Try “The Cook”. It’s like Thanksgiving in bar of soap!
