Last updated on October 23rd, 2023 at 09:02 pm
In order for aromatic sage to be ready to hand not only at harvest time, it requires professional preservation. For this purpose, there is a whole bouquet of practical options to choose from. You can find out how to store sage here.
How to keep sage fresh for days – tips for the refrigerator.
Experienced amateur gardeners always combine the harvest of sage with a moderate pruning. If the time until processing still drags on for a few days, the refrigerator serves as a practical freshness safe. The following tips show how to keep sage fresh for up to 2 weeks without much effort:
- Place whole shoots in a glass of water and put a plastic bag over them.
- Store at a constant 4 degrees Celsius in the refrigerator
- Alternatively, pluck off the sage leaves, wash and dry in a salad spinner
- Put them in a plastic bag and put them in the vegetable drawer of the refrigerator.
The flavorful leaves stay crisp and fresh when placed between two soaking wet kitchen towels in a Tupperware container. Close with a lid and check the moisture content of the cloths daily.
Freeze sage and store for many months – this is how to do it.
Considering its high seasoning power, sage is only used sparingly as a kitchen herb. The same applies to its use as a medicinal and tea plant, because with an overdose, the hoped-for effect quickly turns into the opposite. The question therefore arises as to how sage can be preserved over a longer period of time. Since the Mediterranean herb retains its flavor even when frozen, proceed as follows:
- Chop freshly harvested sage into small pieces and place in an ice cube tray.
- Pour either water or cooking oil over it and freeze it
- Alternatively, spread the seasoning leaves out on cling film, roll up and store in the freezer
- The following method has proven best for individual extraction: place sage leaves on a plate and freeze in the quick freezer. Then transfer to a freezer container without allowing the leaves to thaw.
Tips & Tricks
Sage flowers are not only pretty to look at. Eaten fresh, they taste much milder than the spicy leaves. Creative chefs use the blossoms as a delicious decoration on salads and warm dishes. To keep the colorful splendor fresh for 1-2 days until consumption, place the flowers in a glass of water and put it in the refrigerator.