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| Sage is usually an annual herb in Edmonton |
In our late autumn backyard garden, we harvest fresh kale and carrots, beets and herbs. The sage has managed to survive the near freezing night temperatures of late October in Edmonton.
Sage in Edmonton - annual or perennial?
Previously sage did not survive the Edmonton winter and we planted new sage plants each spring. However, surprisingly, sage plants left to overwinter in the garden have sprouted leaves in spring these past 3 years (2016). As a perennial, it lasts 3 years or so.
I freeze sage leaves for use in winter. There are many methods to do this, but I gather and rinse the leaves, chop them in the food processor, and put the amount needed for recipes into sandwich bags, tightly sealed and frozen.
We love fresh or frozen sage in a side dish we call “Tuscany White Beans with Sage“. This is a quick, simple recipe.
Tuscany Beans Recipe
5-7 cloves of garlic, finely chopped or pressed through garlic press
¼ cup of olive oil
A large handful (3 or more tablespoons) of fresh sage, coarsely chopped
1 can of white kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 can of white navy beans, drained and rinsed
¼ to ½ cup of water
1-2 teaspoons of dried oregano
Salt and pepper
In a pot large enough to hold the 2 cans of beans, saute the garlic and sage in the olive oil over LOW heat for just a minute or two. Add the beans to the pot with the water to make a little sauce. Add the oregano. Heat over very low and simmer for 10 minutes until the dish is hot. Add salt and pepper and serve.
Sage is easy to grow from seed (start indoors) or bedding plants, so be sure to plant some in your garden next spring. Sometimes, I pot up a sage plant to bring indoors for the winter. Due to low light levels in winter, it just barely hangs in there in a south window, but in springtime - out it goes into the garden again.
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| Add some kale. |
Fresh from an Edmonton Garden