Vacuum sealing herbs

I'm sure you've gone over this a million times, but I'm new, so please have
patience.
I have a bumper crop of sage this year. I want to use the fresh stuff this
Thanksgiving, after the plants have shriveled and died.
I cut several stalks back today and put them in vacuum sealed bags
(FoodSaver gizmo) and then popped them in the freezer.
Will this do the trick, or was freezing them a mistake?

In article <nhz4b.318585$YN5.218292@sccrnsc01>, "John Snell" <[Only registered users can see links. ]> wrote:

That's exactly what you should have done. Well, assuming you washed them
first (ugh, bug spit!). Actually, the Food Saver was unnecessary; a regular
zipper bag would do, and the pointy stems *might* poke through the bag
when pulled snug by the vaccuum. Also, with a regular bag you can snaggle
out a little bit for a dish, and put it back in the freezer.

Some people freeze sage (or other herbs) on a cookie sheet and then put in
the bag, so it doesn't freeze together into a single lump.

Sage is one of the herbs that dries well, but I still think the fresh (or
fresh-frozen) has just a *bit* more yum to it. Of course, you'll have to do
a bit more fussing, with picking off the leaves and chopping them, rather
than just rubbing the dried sage between your hands and filtering out the
stems that way.


--
Marie Martinek
Northwestern University, Evanston, IL. USA
[Only registered users can see links. ]

Is there a special kind of sage that is edible. I have some Russian sage in
my garden. It's blooming at the moment.
MAC, On. Ca.


this
regular
do
stems that way.

DO NOT EAT RUSSIAN SAGE. You want to buy or plant culinary sage, there
are several varieties but the Russian isn't edible.

George

reltuc wrote:

Phaedrine Stonebridge wrote:

Well, Henriette corrected me on the Russian sage although I've always
heard you shouldn't eat it. Can't find it in of my herb books though.
Clary, AFAIK, is edible, my problem is I can't get any of them to live
more than a month. Even with them planted on a slight knoll, stays
fairly dry. Planted in full sun, they die, planted in high shade they
die, planted in heavy shade they die. I guess I'm not holding my mouth
right when I plant the stuff.

George

On Sat, 06 Sep 2003 20:49:58 -0500, George Shirley
<[Only registered users can see links. ]> wrote:



Common names for plants are awfully confusing sometimes -
it's very possible that you and Henriette are talking about
two totally different plants.

Pat


--
"Rats and roaches live by competition under the laws of
supply and demand. It is the privilege of human beings to
live under the laws of justice and mercy." - Wendell Berry

On Mon, 01 Sep 2003 03:45:24 GMT, "John Snell" <[Only registered users can see links. ]>
wrote:


You don't mention your location, but sage is a perennial. In zone 7b
(or 8 or something), I can pick sage leaves through the winter,
although the plants don't grow much then. I've never heard of freezing
sage, although it's one of the herbs that can be successfully dried
and retain most of its flavor. Do check and see if you have sage
growing at Thanksgiving, and how the frozen version comes through.
Canning/preserving/drying is traditional; vacuum-sealed freezer
technology for the home is new. If this worked for basil, I'd start
saving my quarters for a machine. Who knows? DO report back.

In article <78w6b.921$[Only registered users can see links. ]>,
George Shirley <[Only registered users can see links. ]> wrote:



I planted our Clary from seed in one of the vegetable gardens. It gets
AM sun with dappled shade in the mid afternoon on and it seems to do ok
here in Z 5b Missouri. First time I grew it so I did not know how
culinary it was, but most sages do well in this area so, when I saw it
on a seed list, I bought a pack. Given your experience, I am now afraid
to move it out of the veggie garden into my kitchen/herb garden for fear
it will not transplant well.

Great mail addres so You cant be given a personal answer.

But the sage witt keep a year this way in a good freezer.
to keep it longer, you will have to boil for 30 secs to 1 minute. just like
whith vegetables. To eliminate enzymatic decay
"John Snell" <[Only registered users can see links. ]> wrote in message
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have