We’ve come to Part V, our final part of this five part series of how to grow your own herbs in your home. I hope you’ve enjoyed. As our final installment, I’d like to share with you my favorite herb to grow indoors: sage.
Sage can be used in cooking, in teas, and is also used for medicinal purposes. Native to Eastern and Southern Europe, it has been used for hundreds of years in recipes, most commonly with poultry and pork. It is also a must-have in your Thanksgiving stuffing!
Sage has a strong, somewhat peppery taste to it and the flavor actually increases when the herb is dried. Because of this, most people use dry sage as a seasoning, rather than fresh sage, although some dishes do call for fresh sage leaves. Below, find all you need to know on how to grow sage successfully in your home!
Best Tips To Successful Sage:
- Start with an adolescent sage plant you can purchase from your local garden center. Look for one that is a bright, vibrant green all throughout and has a lot of body to it.
- Choose a pot with a drainage hole at the bottom and line your pot with stones; proper drainage is important with sage. Plant your sage in good quality potting soil high in nitrogen and cover with soil all the way up to the stem base.
- The first few weeks after planting your sage, water regularly, keeping the soil moist at all times, but not sopping wet. If the roots are too wet, they can rot. Continue watering on a regular basis, always trying to maintain damp soil.
- Sage really likes its sunlight. Position the plant where it will get between 6-8 hours of direct sunlight per day. As with most indoor plants, you can supplement natural sunlight with fluorescent lighting, but natural light is definitely preferred.
- An all purpose organic liquid fertilizer can be used to feed sage. Sage does not need a lot of fertilizing, so once every 6-8 weeks will suffice.
- To harvest your sage plant, simply pick the leaves off gently. Rinse them and lay them on a paper towel to dry in a cool, dry place. Once completely dried, I suggest simply crunching the leaves up and storing in a container along with the rest of your cooking herbs.
I’ve enjoyed sharing with you and I hope you’ve learn a few tricks on how to be successful growing your own herbs indoors. Honestly, with a little bit of time and devotion, it can be very easy to grow your own herbs. Below is another favorite recipe of mine and one I love to share when I have company. Until next time, take care and happy gardening!
Gravy Pork Chops with Stuffing Biscuits:
| 1 | tablespoon butter or margarine |
| 4 | bone-in pork loin chops, about 1/2 inch thick (about 1 3/4 lb) |
| 1 | jar (12 oz) home-style pork gravy |
| 1 | medium stalk celery, thinly sliced (1/2 cup) |
| 1/4 | cup chopped onion (1 small) |
| 1 | cup Original Bisquick mix |
| 1/2 | teaspoon dried sage leaves |
| 1/3 | cup milk |
| 1. | Heat oven to 375°F. Spray 13×9-inch (3-quart) glass baking dish with cooking spray. In 12-inch nonstick skillet, melt butter over medium-high heat. Add pork chops; cook 8 to 10 minutes, turning once, until browned. Place pork chops in baking dish. Pour gravy over top. |
| 2. | In same skillet, cook celery and onion over medium-high heat 3 to 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until tender; remove from heat. |
| 3. | In small bowl, stir Bisquick mix, sage and milk until blended. Stir in celery and onion mixture. Drop large spoonful of dough onto each pork chop. |
| 4. | Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until biscuits are golden brown and pork chops are no longer pink in center. |
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