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How do you cut white sage for smudging?
Once your plant has become established, you can start harvesting. Don’t remove more than 30% of new growth in the first year. Use a pair of sharp scissors or pruners to cut your white sage so that you don’t damage the stems. Avoid trimming the woody part – stick to removing the softer, green growth.
Where can you harvest white sage?
The backcountry of Riverside and San Diego Counties, as well as San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Ventura, Los Angeles and Orange Counties, are ideal locations to pick wild white sage. The plant can also be found in Baja California.
When should you pick sage?
When Should I Harvest Sage? Sage harvesting can be done at almost any time, but you’ll get the best flavor when you pick leaves before the plant blooms. You can extend harvesting by picking off flowers as the buds develop, but it is also possible to harvest as the plants are blooming and after.
Should sage be cut back?
Pruning your culinary sage plant should be done in the early spring. Prune the heavy, woody stems in order to promote new, healthy growth, states The Old Farmer’s Almanac. You’ll also get a healthier-looking plant. Sage and other subshrub plants should never be cut back to the ground, according to Fine Gardening.
Can you smudge with regular sage?
Garden or common sage will do the trick, too. Other smudging plants to use include cedar, sweetgrass, and sagebrush. Various herbs and wildflowers make as wonderful additions to your smudge stick.
How do you dry white sage leaves?
In the microwave: Microwave your sage leaves in thirty-second increments until the sage is dry. In the open air: Bundle your sage leaves together in groups of five or ten using twine or a rubber band. Cover the bundles with a perforated paper bag and hang them until dry.
Why you shouldn’t use white sage?
For Hopkins, the appropriation of white sage is made worse because the plant is often not being harvested correctly. “When using medicinal plants, it’s important that the plant is used sustainably. If someone is harvesting white sage and doesn’t know to leave the root, they’re preventing more plants from growing.
Does sage come back every year?
Some of our most-used cooking herbs are perennials, including sage, oregano and thyme. But a bonus of perennial herbs is that many of them are as attractive as they are tasty, making them functional beyond the kitchen.
How do you use white sage respectfully?
How to smudge your living space, an object, and more Light the end of a sage bundle with a match. The tips of the leaves should smolder slowly, releasing thick smoke. Allow the incense to linger on the areas of your body or surroundings you’d like to focus on. Allow the ash to collect in a ceramic bowl or shell.
Can you eat white sage?
White sage has a robust flavor well suited for a variety of culinary preparations. White sage can also be finely chopped and baked into bread, cooked into sauces for added flavoring, or used to flavor desserts. In addition to using the leaves fresh, they can also be dried and steeped into a tea or used in infusions.
How do you harvest and store sage leaves?
You’ll get the most flavorful leaves from plants if you harvest before the plants flower. Snip off leaves in the morning to use fresh. If you’d like to dry sage for later use in cooking, cut 6- to 8-inch lengths of stems and tie in bundles. Hang upside-down in a cool, dry location, then store in an air-tight container.
Do you deadhead sage?
As your sage plant grows throughout the growing season, deadhead it to keep it producing more leaves. Clip sage blossoms from the sage plant as they dry and fade. Use the pruning shears to remove the blossoms immediately beneath them where they attach to the stems.
Can sage be propagated from cuttings?
Shrubby herbs, like rosemary, thyme, lavender, sage, marjoram and oregano, are all suitable for taking cuttings, and although you can do it later in the year, when the stems are more mature, I prefer to take softwood cuttings in the spring, when the bushes are bursting with new energy and fresh growth.
How do you prepare sage for winter?
Popular kitchen herbs that like the heat, such as rosemary and sage, should be brought indoors for winter. They will thrive in pots placed on or near a sunny windowsill, and you can use them year-round. Dig out herbs grown in beds. Using a shovel to cut around the perimeter of the plant, grab as many roots as possible.
What can I do with dried sage leaves?
12 Creative Ways to Preserve Sage Make sage honey. Infuse honey with dried sage leaves to add flavor to hot or iced tea, sweeten baked goods, add to a citrus-y marinade, or serve on a cheese plate. Add sage to compound butter. Dry it yourself. Turn sage into bitters for better cocktails. Preserve fresh sage in oil.
What do I say when I sage my house?
Hello, my name is ___; I am moving into this space. I want to thank all of the land stewards and spirits of the land. I want to acknowledge the first people of the land. I want to state my intention of creating a home for myself here, living in reciprocity with the spirits that are present.
How do you properly sage your house?
Start at the front door of the home and light your smudge stick. Then, begin to move around the home. Move mindfully and with care, walking clockwise around the entire perimeter of the home. Be sure to allow the smoke to drift into even the hidden spaces, like inside closets, basements and dark corners.
