# Fresh sage **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** food-cooking\ **Created:** [November 12, 2020, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fresh-sage/925442 "2020-11-12T16:47:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2020, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fresh-sage/925442/1 "2020-11-12T16:47:20Z")
My Retired Boss sent some fruits of her garden into the office. I got some cherry tomatoes, a large jalapeno-type chile, some Asian chiles, and a bunch of sage. RB made sure my coworker put the sage on my desk, thinking I could use it for Thanksgiving. OK… So how do I use it? I roast a turkey with stuffing every year. And by ‘stuffing’, I mean stuffing and not dressing. I usually get it in a box, so it’s already seasoned – with sage. I could just get unseasoned bread and add my own seasonings, including the sage. In that case, would I chiffonade the leaves and mix them in? Did I not stuff the bird, I could put the herbs into the cavity. But I do stuff it. Anything else I can do with a bunch of sage? ---
**Author:** ![GreenWyvern](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/greenwyvern/32/2834_2.png) [@GreenWyvern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreenWyvern)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2020, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fresh-sage/925442/2 "2020-11-12T16:53:53Z")
So you’re looking for some sage advice? (Sorry… I’m out of here!) ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2020, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fresh-sage/925442/3 "2020-11-12T17:22:34Z")
Sage shows up a lot in Thanksgiving recipes of any kind. It’s a main ingredient in common poultry seasonings, so probably acquired for the turkey and then added to everything and anything in the food feast. I use it in sauces and soups, and it’s a good seasoning for meat. I don’t use it that much myself, just doesn’t turn up in my usual recipes so I often have none around. Almost forgot, it’s the ingredient that distinguishes breakfast sausage from other types. Last time I had fresh sage around I was making breakfast sausage. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2020, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fresh-sage/925442/4 "2020-11-12T17:29:25Z")
We have sage in our herb garden. When roasting chickens/turkeys one thing I’ve done is to put sage under the bird’s skin. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2020, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fresh-sage/925442/5 "2020-11-12T18:10:22Z")
Try frying a few leaves in a bit of olive oil. Fried sage is delicious, and can be crumbled as garnish for soup or pasta. Or just eaten as a snack. For a turkey, you can chop up fresh herbs, mix with butter, and then stuff them under the skin on the turkey breast. (ninja-ed by Kayaker) ---
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2020, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fresh-sage/925442/6 "2020-11-12T19:07:45Z")
Fried tout is wonderful with sage. ---
**Author:** ![carlb](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carlb/32/5930_2.png) [@carlb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carlb)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2020, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fresh-sage/925442/7 "2020-11-12T20:13:20Z")
Sage, to me, is the scent of Thanksgiving and, to a lesser extent, Christmas. The instant I make the first cut into some sage, and the smell comes wafting up to my nostrils is just so comforting and lovely. By all means, I would suggest buying unseasoned bread cubes (or even make your own) and using the fresh sage for your stuffing. That way you can use as much or as little as you want. I chiffonade and then make a few slices perpendicular to the chiffonades for a rough chop. I have also been known to slip some whole sage leaves under the skin of the bird before roasting. Sage leaves are also a key, defining ingredient in [Saltimbocca](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saltimbocca). I love fresh sage. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2020, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fresh-sage/925442/8 "2020-11-12T20:19:13Z")
If they learned to take no for an answer they wouldn’t end up getting fried so often. ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2020, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fresh-sage/925442/9 "2020-11-12T21:36:26Z")
From various scary movies and TV shows I’ve seen, if your house is infested with evil spirits, burning a bundle of sage can ward them off. ---
**Author:** ![jnglmassiv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f07891/32.png) [@jnglmassiv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jnglmassiv)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2020, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fresh-sage/925442/10 "2020-11-12T22:19:13Z")
I think I’ve had cocktails made with sage. The peachfuzzy leaves of fresh sage gives me the willys. Thhe fried sage described upthread is good on popcorn. ---
**Author:** ![alovem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b38774/32.png) [@alovem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alovem)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2020, 7:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fresh-sage/925442/11 "2020-11-13T07:36:56Z")
Red beans and rice. Recipes for this and other dishes usually call for dried sage, so you know what to do. ---
**Author:** ![FordPrefect](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e99b99/32.png) [@FordPrefect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FordPrefect)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2020, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fresh-sage/925442/12 "2020-11-13T13:09:32Z")
When Thanksgiving is over, sage also plays nicely in cream sauces for pasta. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2020, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fresh-sage/925442/13 "2020-11-13T19:10:13Z")
That’s actually a Native American purification ritual. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2020, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fresh-sage/925442/14 "2020-11-14T03:42:27Z")
There’s [Gnocchi with Sage and Brown Butter.](https://www.saveur.com/article/Recipes/Gnocchi-with-Brown-Butter-and-Sage/), there’s [Chicken Saltimbocca](https://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/chicken-saltimbocca), or maybe one of the hundreds of variations on [white beans, cured pork and sage.](https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/tyler-florence/white-beans-with-pancetta-and-sage-recipe-1913727) Personally, I think chicken saltimbocca is fantastic, and gnocchi (or some kind of pasta) with brown butter and sage isn’t far behind. ---
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2020, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fresh-sage/925442/15 "2020-11-15T01:15:40Z")
I have sage growing in a backyard bed. I throw a branch on the grill to keep bugs away and add a nice herby touch to whatever I grill. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2020, 6:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fresh-sage/925442/16 "2020-11-15T06:39:08Z")
The purification ritual is done with North American plants _salvia apiana_ or _artemisia ludoviciana_, both called _White Sage_. The herb is _salvia officinalis_, an Old World plant called _Common Sage_ or _Garden Sage_. The recent popularity of the cleansing ritual has been blame for destruction of much wild White Sage, and also criticized as ‘cultural appropriation’. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2020, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fresh-sage/925442/17 "2020-11-15T19:34:07Z")
Thanks for the clarification. I wasn’t aware of a cleansing fad, but it doesn’t surprise me. We’ve attended quite a number of NA events here in the PNW where sage is used to banish bad spirits. One of them set off the smoke alarm system at the Portland Art Museum, which was fun for all. We recently purchased a drum made by an artist with the local Cherokee society. He included a bundle of sage and a sweet grass plait, which smells wonderful. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2020, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fresh-sage/925442/18 "2020-11-15T21:55:17Z")
Your post reminded me to check that out. It also occurred to me that I didn’t quite know what Sagebrush was, but knew it wasn’t where the herb Sage came from. And White Sage used in cleansing rituals is unrelated to the various plants called Sagebrush also. Oddly, the [wiki on Sagebrush](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artemisia_tridentata) doesn’t address its affinity for abandoned western towns. ---
**Author:** ![Eva\_Luna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e495f1/32.png) [@Eva\_Luna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eva_Luna)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2020, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fresh-sage/925442/19 "2020-11-16T01:27:07Z")
I like to add a bit of sage to sauteed garlic mushrooms, along with white pepper, Amontillado sherry, and sour cream. ---
**Author:** ![romansperson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/romansperson/32/17100_2.png) [@romansperson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/romansperson)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2020, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fresh-sage/925442/20 "2020-11-16T03:57:16Z")
I use it in [Fagioli All’uccelletto](https://www.insidetherustickitchen.com/fagioli-alluccelletto-beans-tomato-sauce/), which I make a lot - I have this dish for lunch sometimes and also use it as a side dish. It’s a great savory alternative to sugary American baked beans, and is pretty simple to make. I use good-quality canned beans and it only takes about a half hour to prepare, start to finish. I also just added some sage today to a spicy sausage sauce I’ll use to make a lasagna tomorrow. You can of course dry and/or freeze any you don’t use soon.