Harvesting The Sage
Written by Lynn on July 31st, 2008There’s a calm in my heart today. I’m not going anywhere, intent (and content) on staying home and just being. I am harvesting sage today.
The sage stands bright and stately in the sunshine.
There is an old saying, going all the way back to when Romans ruled the world:
“Why should a man die when he has sage in his garden?”
I know I’d be sad come winter if I had not harvested my sage.
It is plenteous. It is gentle and kind herb among herbs. It’s good for women. I put it in my infusions. I use it in meat dishes. Sometimes I just walk by and touch the leaves and get lost in the wonderful fragrance.
I don’t take all the sage in my harvesting, but leave some for the creatures who enjoy it as much as I do. It is this bright green spider’s home.
Close by, there are other insects enjoying the garden. I love them all, except for the mosquitoes.
There’s something very good about learning to dwell contently at home. It’s sometimes a hard lesson for young mothers. (It was for me.) It’s sometimes a struggle when cooking wasn’t started early enough in the day and something quick must be purchased. It’s sometimes a struggle when the heart is not settled and “getting away” seems more appealing than taking care of household chores.
~It is of great advantage
to understand how
to turn common occurrences of everyday life
into treasured works of love. ~
- laundry on the line
- a clean kitchen
- harvesting herbs
- from a tiny patch of ground
- rocking a baby
- getting to know your children
- a home-cooked meal
Contentment. Closing the garden gate with a basket full of sage.
The process begins of cutting the leaves off, checking them for bugs, and placing them on baking trays to go into a 140-degree oven to dry for a couple of hours or so, or until they crumble in my hands.
Then the dried and hand-ground sage will go into spice jars for use throughout the next year.
Lynn
for you to leave a comment, but you can also e-mail me at lynn AT thehealthyhomeschool.com
31
PM
What a lovely post…..
I found it very interesting that you talked about being content at home because I just read this quote
on the Paper Whimsy forum ….
“Like a morning dream, life becomes more and more bright the longer we live, and the reason of everything appears more clear. What has puzzled us before seems less mysterious, and the crooked paths look straighter.”
~Jean Paul Richter, German Novelist, 1763-1825
Louise
31
PM
Since I work from home, and because we only have one car, I think a lot about being content at home. Watching friends and neighbors jonesing for weekends away when they live in such fantastic places (some with acreage!), I wonder why they’re so restless in their own homes. And after a lifetime of living in noisy, restless cities, being at home in my garden and woods in my little town is the best place on earth.
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I’ve been very content staying home too, this summer! I’ve enjoyed learning so much about cooking, baking and herb gardening. I feel fulfilled in that I stretched beyond my usual comfort zone!
Just yesterday at a garage sale, I bought the perfect little glass jars (ten cents each) for some reason? Now, I know why— to copy your sage harvest!
Do you have any other plans for drying/harvesting herbs? If so…be sure to tell us!
Your friend, Michele
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Michele, I wish I had more empty jars put up. I am running out! I have plenty of larger jars, but it is now on my list to get some small ones. I do want to do another tincture this year, but I’m really pushing it — the summer is going quickly by!
Lynn
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Louise, what a lovely quote. I really like that. I do feel that part of it is my age and perhaps being more content, but I think most of it is a condition of the heart and mind. Don’t you? I think we can actually train ourselves to be content.
Iris, you are going very well — being content at home and using one vehicle. My hat is off to you! I have only 1/3 of an acre. I just cannot imagine having acreage and then running off to leave it each weekend!
Lynn
2
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I think that was a lovely post. I especiall can relate to:
” It’s sometimes a struggle when cooking wasn’t started early enough in the day and something quick must be purchased. It’s sometimes a struggle when the heart is not settled and “getting away” seems more appealing than taking care of household chores.”
We live in town and it is incredibly difficult not to be pulled away from home with so many things to do in town and so many food choices just down the street. Reading this post made me again love thinking of Monday when I hang my laundry (much to the chagrin of some neighbors)
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Beautiful post. You make me want to put on a pretty dress and grow herbs
I found it hard to be content at home until I was in my early 30s. I think meeting Rich settled me, because I was finally happy to just stay home with him
4
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Angela, I am in town too, and I know how easy it is to just “get away” for the day and then come home to chaos (at least here). I am trying very hard to be content here these days.
Rue, you’re sweet.
It feels good to be happy at home, doesn’t it? I know it makes me happy.
Lynn