TARRAGON & THYME

Remember the Sage bundles I put up for drying with the Sweet Woodruff for drying a couple of weeks ago. Well it is now dry and I am now going to prepare this for storing. Its very simple to prepare. Take a large glass bowl. Take a few stems of sage from one of your bundles of sage and literally start to roll it backwards and forwards in your hands. Because the sage is "dry" it should rub naturally into litle pieces. I take the stems away just using the leaves before rubbing. It is very aromatic and makes the room and my hands smell lovely - not everyone likes sage I do. I then pop the rubbed herb onto a chopping board and pass a mezzaluna chopper over it to give a finer finish - that is my preference. I then decant the prepared herb into a glass bottle. This is my first harvest of sage this year which comprised of four large bundles I intend to dry some more again during the week pending the weather being drier. The stems I do keep these in little bundles as they can be used ...

Well my Sage Plants have expanded from last year and I seem to have quite a crop, this early in the season. I have two different sages a Variegated variety known as an Ictarina Sage which is a marled yellow and green and a bluey grey variety both are growing into each other. It is obviously very happy where I have it. It also seems to be thriving in the window box as well. Because I use so much Sage in cooking I want to make the best of what is growing in my small garden. Home dried rubbed sage is very full of flavour and I hope to grow on some more plants and have them dotted around the garden. I haven't quite worked out how many plants will supply me with all I need in any one year, together with having a surplus for passing on to family members and friends. This is a custom I am well used to as my Nan used to pass on any excess items to those who didn't have the luxury of a garden. I am of course ostensibly thinking of saving pennies here as usual. I intend to make a couple ...