The Sage Page
Making the world a little greener with our spare thyme.
The Cumberland Herb Association October 2013
PLEASE NOTE....SPECIAL MEETING TIME & PLACE TO MAKE HYPERTUFAS! t year! s la m o r f a f My tu
If you missed Lynne’s soap demo at our last meeting, she almost made it look easy!
We will not have our regular Wednesday night meeting this month. Instead we’ll meet at Jean’s house on Saturday, October 26th @ 10am to make hypertufas - lightweight concrete pots. The plan is to use them in this year’s Lawn & Garden Show & after the show, you can keep the ones you made or sell them in the booth. If you haven’t made them before, it’s a lot of fun, but it can be messy! Be prepared...wear something you can get dirty & bring some heavy duty rubber gloves to protect your hands from the concrete mix. If you have small pieces of styrofoam that might make an interesting shape or a 1/2" thick board big enough to hold a tufa please bring them. Also please bring something to share for brunch after the tufas are finished. If you have questions or get lost, call Jean @ 319-6296. Hope to see everyone there!
Our next meeting will be
Saturday Oct. 26th @ 10:00am at Jean Flippen’s house: 3600 Franklin Pk., Nashville 37204 Directions to Jean’s house: from Franklin Rd. turn into the entrance for Woodmont Hills Family of God Church. Make an immediate left into the access road (also named Franklin Rd.) Take a right into the second driveway, just after the ranch brick house (#3700). Go all the way up the drive past the large white house & you’ll see Jean’s house. Look for the #3600 marker at the drive & maybe a sign or balloon. 1
CHA Newsletter Editor - Jessica M. Bach 891-8735 • email: jessica_mayo@bellsouth.net. If you have any information to include in the newsletter, please contact the editor by the first week of the month.
From your gardens...
Thanks for sharing! Herb of the Month: Pineapple Sage (Salvia elegans) This month’s herb is inspired by Lauren Brisky’s beautiful photo of her pineapple sage plant. Thanks so much for submitting some photos Lauren! I’ve not tried growing this variety of sage before, but isn’t it gorgeous? I’ll have to try it next year. Here’s some info from wikipedia. Pineapple sage is a perennial in warm climates. With a hard frost, the plant will die down to the ground but should grow back the following spring. It can grow 3.9 to 4.9 ft tall, with pineapple scented foliage and red tubular flowers in fall that attract hummingbirds & butterflies. Choose a sunny place with soil that’s well-drained but rich enough to support the plant’s rapid growth. Both the leaves & flowers are edible & can be used in hot or cold drinks, smoothies, fruit salads, green salads & even pound cake. Try flavoring sugar with the leaves for baking or sweetening your iced tea. You can also use the dried plant in potpourri or wreaths. Pineapple sage is extensively used in Mexican traditional medicine for treating anxiety & high blood pressure. Other health benefits include improving digestive health & treating heartburn. 2
Images: http://www.buzzle.com/articles/pineapple-sage-plants.html, zennias & flowering pineapple sage: L. Brisky, soap demo: M. Murakami, hypertufa: J. Bach; sources: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salvia_elegans
RECIPES October’s Recipe - Pineapple Sage Drinks
Pineapple Sage Tea - Hot or Iced 1/2 cup pineapple juice, for ice cubes, optional for iced tea 1/2 cup packed fresh pineapple sage leaf
1/4 cup local honey 1 lemon or 1 lime
Directions: Freeze pineapple juice in ice cube trays if making iced tea. Bring 1 quart bottled water just to a boil and pour over the sage leaves. Stir in honey and lemon or lime juice to taste. Steep for 20 minutes. Bring to a boil and then strain into tea cups. If enjoying iced cool in refrigerator and pour in a tall glass filled with the pineapple ice cubes. Garnish with pineapple sage leaves and or flowers.
Banana Pineapple Sage Smoothie 3/4 cup fruit flavored nonfat yogurt 1 teaspoon honey 1 small banana
1/3 cup skim milk 1 tablespoon chopped pineapple sage 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Combine all ingredients in blender container and process until smooth. Serve in attractive glasses, garnishing with a light dusting of cinnamon, if desired.
October’s Recipe - Pineapple Sage Chicken
Pineapple Sage Chicken 1/4 C Teriyaki or Tamari Or Soy sauce 1/4 C honey 1/2 C Olive Oil Handful of Pineapple Sage leaves chopped
2 TBS lemon Juice 2 TBS Apple juice 2 tsp ground ginger Boneless Chicken Breasts
Marinade chicken in above ingredients. Cook on grill & serve with Pineapple kabobs.
October’s Recipe - Pineapple Sage Chicken
Pineapple Sage Pound Cake 1 cup butter at room temperature 1 cup sugar 4 TBS drained chopped pineapple 1/4 cup honey 2 TBS finely chopped pineapple sage leaves
3 TBS coarsely chopped pineaple sage flowers 5 eggs 1 tsp grated lemon peel 2 cups flour 1 tsp baking powder
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Cream butter & sugar until fluffy. Add honey. Add eggs one at a time. Beat in sage leaves, flowers & lemon peel. Stir dry ingredients together & add to butter mixture. Fold together gently, until just blended. Pour into four miniature loaf pans. Bake at 325 degrees for approx. 45 minutes or until golden brown. Cool for 10 minutes on rack, then turn out of pans and finish cooling. Slice & enjoy! 3
Recipes from www.food.com/recipe/pineapple-sage-tea-hot-or-iced-386388?oc=linkback www.nefffamilyfarm.com/PineappleSage.html • www.grouprecipes.com/33415/pineapple-sage-pound-cake.html