we often overlook the fragrant, delicious and also powerful common garden sage.
Salvia Officinalis is typically used as a culinary herb for flavoring meats, soups, stuffings, etc. It has also been used for thousands of years in traditional practices like Ayurveda and Chinese medicine.
Sage has been shown to improve mental capacities and has significant effects on cognition. This makes it valuable in treating memory loss in individuals suffering from Alzheimer's and Dementia. It can help with recall, alertness and contentedness.
Those with diabetes and associated inflammation have found sage to be helpful in lowering glucose levels. It also balances cholesterol by lowering LDL and HDL levels. A study performed on menopause subjects with fresh sage in capsule form found that many symptoms, such as hot flashes, were quickly relieved.
Sage also helps in the garden- pests like carrot flies and cabbage moths are repelled by it, but pollinators love it. The great outdoors is also the best place to utilize common sage as a smudge for removing negativity, as it is very effective but inhaling the smoke can be damaging to the lungs.
Try this recipe for Squash Fritters & Fried Sage- a delicious autumn appetizer!
Ingredients:
Vegetable or peanut oil, for frying
1 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 cups seltzer or club soda, chilled
Kosher salt
1 1/2 lbs kabocha squash or sugar pumpkin- peeled, seeded & cut into 1/8" thick wedges
1/2 cup sage leaves
Flaky sea salt and lemon wedges, for garnish
In a saucepan, heat 1" of oil to 360 degrees. In a bowl, whisk flour & 1 1/4 cups of seltzer
til smooth like sour cream; add seltzer if too thick. Season with salt. Working in batches,
dip the squash and some of the sage in the batter; let excess drip off. Carefully add
the battered pieces along with some uncoated sage leaves to the hot oil. Fry over
moderately high heat, turning, until lightly golden and crisp, 3 to 5 minutes. Using
tongs, transfer to paper towel to drain. Season with sea salt and serve immediately with
lemon wedges.
