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Sage Delivery or Pickup
The Instacart guide to sage
About sage
Sage is a pungent, earthy, and aromatic herb that works well with poultry, seafood, roasts, and vegetables. It's often the key ingredient in stuffing, so the taste of sage is likely to conjure mouthwatering memories of Thanksgiving. In fact, sage pairs so well with autumn vegetables like squash and pumpkin that many chefs consider it a quintessential fall flavor. Sage is available fresh, dried, and powdered. Order your favorite sage products via Instacart and have them delivered in as little as 2Â hours!
Sage is a member of the mint family and a perennial shrub with over 900 varieties, although most are inedible. The sage plant is hearty and bushy and grows to about two feet high. It has purple or blue flowers that are fragrant and rich in nectar. Its leaves are lance-shaped, gray-green, and covered with a characteristic silvery down.
Sage has been used over the centuries as a medicine, preservative, and spice. The culinary sage we know and love, Salvia Officinalis, is called true sage or garden sage. Native to Asia Minor and the Mediterranean, sage was so prized by the ancient Greeks that they used it to treat snake bites and believed that growing it in your garden could help you live a long life. The history of sage's culinary use dates back to ancient Egypt, and it is still prized by chefs for its rich, earthy, mildly astringent flavor.
How to pick out sage
When shopping for fresh sage, be sure to look for crisp, snappy leaves that still contain some moisture. Avoid leaves that are brown, gray, wilted, or old-looking. Green sage leaves are typical of the herb, but you may also find purple-tinged sage that is spicier but with less of a bitter taste.
When shopping for dried and powdered sage for your holiday feast or spice cabinet, look for the date and try to choose the package of sage that was packed most recently. Dried and powdered sage will look much more brownish than fresh sage. Over time, the powder will lose its prized aromatic flavors while still retaining its mild bitterness, leading to a flat taste that can detract from your meal's flavor. For this reason, you should never use old powdered sage in a meal that depends upon the flavor of this herb.
Sage cooking tips
Sage is a fragrant herb that can add flavor to many of your favorite dishes. In addition to poultry and fish, sage works well as a fresh garnish or when cooked with beef, veal, pork, carrots, asparagus, leeks, tomatoes, artichokes, eggplants, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, and lentils. Sage pairs particularly well with roast dishes of all kinds, and you can either add fresh leaves to your pork or beef before roasting or fry sage sprigs and add them as a garnish later.
Fresh sage is so powerful and distinctive that it has undergone a recent culinary renaissance, with chefs and mixologists pioneering new and exciting uses for the herb. When bruised or muddled, fresh sage is a key ingredient in drinks made with gin, tequila, and vodka. Soaking and grilling sage leaves focuses their flavor, making this preparation excellent for adding to barbecued and grilled meat dishes. You can infuse fresh sage into butter, olive oil, vinegar, alcohol, or honey and use these infusions in drinks, sauces, and dressings.
The flavor of dried sage is more concentrated than fresh sage, so it should be used sparingly in your dishes. If you're not sure how much to use, err on the side of caution and add more as needed. Dried sage works well as a seasoning for roasted vegetables and as a rub for meats. It makes a great base for a marinade for turkey or pork, and you can even add it to your mashed potatoes for that comforting autumn feeling.
Sage Near Me
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FAQs about sage
Yes. You can air dry fresh sage in a paper bag with holes poked in it for airflow. The paper bag simply protects the leaves from sunlight while drying in order to preserve more of its aromatic flavor. First, choose the best sprigs of fresh sage and discard any leaves that are discolored or wilted. Then, tie the stems together and place them in the bag. Your dried sage should be ready in about two weeks.
Deliciously earthy and peppery with notes of mint and lemon, sage butter adds complexity to any savory dish in which you would use regular butter. You can use a one-to-one ratio of fresh sage leaves to butter, so if you use a half cup of butter, you can use a half cup of fresh sage leaves. Simply take your rinsed and dried sage leaves and add a shallot, half a teaspoon of lemon juice, a little ground lemon rind, and some pepper, and put the mix into a food processor. When fully chopped, add the softened butter and process until the dry ingredients are uniformly mixed in.
Looking to boost the flavor profile of your next meal with a little fresh or dried sage? Save time by ordering sage products through the Instacart app or website and get them delivered the same day!