CSA Share Week 4

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May 26, 2021

Spring Onions
Pink Beauty Radishes
Sugar Snap Peas
Sage
Two Heads of Lettuce
Chard or Kale
Tiny Greens
Small Bouquet

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Drying Sage

by Martha Piccolo
Drying All Things

Drying sage through hanging

If you prefer a much simpler method, this one should be perfect.

  • The first step in hanging dry your sage leaves is to tie several pieces together. Aim to form bundles of five to ten leaves each. What should you tie them with? Well, anything will do—as long as it can hold the leaves together.

  • Now that you have the leaves ready, hang them (indoors is fine) facing downward. Cover each bundle in perforated paper bags, or you could use a thin sheet of muslin. Remember not to cover the leaves too tightly. Air should still be able to pass through.

Here’s the downside with this method: it takes longer than any other means of drying sage. Assuming that there’s relatively low humidity where you live, the entire process could still take up to ten days. Of course, it’ll take longer with relatively high humidity.

Actually, if it’s really humid in your area, you shouldn’t go for hanging or air-drying. Aside from the possibly longer duration, there’s a much bigger chance of mold forming on the leaves. That’s also the reason why plastic bags aren’t recommended for use as cover, given that they trap moisture.

How would you know that the leaves have properly dried? Just like with the previous method, simply check whether they’ve become crumbly. They should be crisp enough to be easily crushed by hand. Don’t forget to store the leaves in an airtight jar.

Drying sage in the oven

If you have a conventional oven at home, you could use it to quickly dry your sage leaves.

  • Get a sufficiently sized tray and cover it with muslin. Carefully place the leaves on the tray, making sure that there’s enough space between each piece.

  • Again, this is to prevent uneven drying and to keep the drying time as short as possible. At this point, put the tray in the oven, which should be set at the lowest setting. Don’t close the oven door completely—after all, the goal here is to let moisture escape.

  • After half an hour has passed, flip the leaves over. This ensures that they’re completely dried after the process.

Your sage should be ready once you’ve reached the one-hour mark. Let them cool inside the oven before putting them in an airtight container.

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