Sage is a versatile herb, enhancing flavors in both savory and sweet recipes.
By Melinda Myers
Add homegrown flavor to any meal with garden fresh herbs that will elevate any dish. Continue enjoying them well past the end of the season by preserving favorites to use in winter meals.
Snip a few leaves or leaf-covered stems as needed for cooking or garnishing a favorite dish throughout the growing season. Adjust the quantity of herbs used to allow for variations in flavor intensity and preference. In general, two to three times more fresh herbs are needed than dried, except for Rosemary which has an equally strong flavor, fresh or dried. For example, if the recipe calls for one teaspoon of dried thyme use one Tablespoon (three teaspoons) of fresh thyme leaves.
Harvest before plants begin flowering to encourage more tender growth. The concentration of flavor will be greatest when the plant has formed buds, but before they open. Don’t discard the flowers if you wait too long. Enjoy the beauty and added flavor of basil, lavender, lovage, monarda, oregano, Rosemary, sage, sweet marjoram and thyme blossoms.
Use a pair of garden scissors, snips or bypass pruners for harvesting. Make the cuts above a set of healthy leaves. The wound will close faster, and the remaining plant will look better. Rinse off the clippings and remove tough stems and bad leaves.
Store extra unwashed leafy herbs in a vase of water and loosely cover with a plastic bag. Keep basil on the kitchen counter and cold-tolerant herbs, like parsley and cilantro, in the refrigerator. Wrap thicker-leafed herbs, like sage and thyme, in a paper towel set inside a plastic bag and place in a warmer section of the fridge.
Keep harvesting throughout the growing season to encourage new growth for future harvests. Just leave enough foliage to maintain plant growth. Harvest as much as 50 to 75% from established annual herbs and one third of perennial herbs at a time.
Freeze sprigs, whole leaves or chopped clean herbs on a cookie sheet. Or pack clean diced herbs in ice cube trays and fill the empty spaces with water. These are great for use in soups and stews. Store the frozen herbs and ice cubes in an airtight container or baggie in the freezer.
Or dry herbs by bundling several stems together, secure them with a rubber band and use a spring-type clothespin to hang them in a warm, dry place to dry out. A drying rack can be made from an old embroidery hoop, string, and S hooks.
Get creative and use some herbs to make a fragrant edible wreath. Use fresh herbs that are flexible and easier to shape into a wreath. They will dry in place and can be harvested as needed.
Speed up the drying process in the microwave. Place herbs on a paper plate and cover it with a paper towel. Start with one to two minutes on high. Repeat for 30 seconds as needed until the herbs are brittle. Store dried herbs in an airtight plastic or glass jar.
Share extra fresh and dried herbs with family and friends. They make great holiday gifts.
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Melinda Myers has written more than 20 gardening books, including the Midwest Gardener’s Handbook, 2nd Edition and Small Space Gardening. She hosts The Great Courses “How to Grow Anything” streaming courses and the nationally syndicated Melinda’s Garden Moment TV & radio program. Myers is a columnist and contributing editor for Birds & Blooms magazine. Her website is MelindaMyers.com.
Add homegrown flavor to any meal with garden fresh herbs that will elevate any dish. Continue enjoying them well past the end of the season by preserving favorites to use in winter meals.
Snip a few leaves or leaf-covered stems as needed for cooking or garnishing a favorite dish throughout the growing season. Adjust the quantity of herbs used to allow for variations in flavor intensity and preference. In general, two to three times more fresh herbs are needed than dried, except for Rosemary which has an equally strong flavor, fresh or dried. For example, if the recipe calls for one teaspoon of dried thyme use one Tablespoon (three teaspoons) of fresh thyme leaves.
Harvest before plants begin flowering to encourage more tender growth. The concentration of flavor will be greatest when the plant has formed buds, but before they open. Don’t discard the flowers if you wait too long. Enjoy the beauty and added flavor of basil, lavender, lovage, monarda, oregano, Rosemary, sage, sweet marjoram and thyme blossoms.
Use a pair of garden scissors, snips or bypass pruners for harvesting. Make the cuts above a set of healthy leaves. The wound will close faster, and the remaining plant will look better. Rinse off the clippings and remove tough stems and bad leaves.
Store extra unwashed leafy herbs in a vase of water and loosely cover with a plastic bag. Keep basil on the kitchen counter and cold-tolerant herbs, like parsley and cilantro, in the refrigerator. Wrap thicker-leafed herbs, like sage and thyme, in a paper towel set inside a plastic bag and place in a warmer section of the fridge.
Keep harvesting throughout the growing season to encourage new growth for future harvests. Just leave enough foliage to maintain plant growth. Harvest as much as 50 to 75% from established annual herbs and one third of perennial herbs at a time.
Freeze sprigs, whole leaves or chopped clean herbs on a cookie sheet. Or pack clean diced herbs in ice cube trays and fill the empty spaces with water. These are great for use in soups and stews. Store the frozen herbs and ice cubes in an airtight container or baggie in the freezer.
Or dry herbs by bundling several stems together, secure them with a rubber band and use a spring-type clothespin to hang them in a warm, dry place to dry out. A drying rack can be made from an old embroidery hoop, string, and S hooks.
Get creative and use some herbs to make a fragrant edible wreath. Use fresh herbs that are flexible and easier to shape into a wreath. They will dry in place and can be harvested as needed.
Speed up the drying process in the microwave. Place herbs on a paper plate and cover it with a paper towel. Start with one to two minutes on high. Repeat for 30 seconds as needed until the herbs are brittle. Store dried herbs in an airtight plastic or glass jar.
Share extra fresh and dried herbs with family and friends. They make great holiday gifts.
—————
Melinda Myers has written more than 20 gardening books, including the Midwest Gardener’s Handbook, 2nd Edition and Small Space Gardening. She hosts The Great Courses “How to Grow Anything” streaming courses and the nationally syndicated Melinda’s Garden Moment TV & radio program. Myers is a columnist and contributing editor for Birds & Blooms magazine. Her website is MelindaMyers.com.
DNR Conservation Officers Rescue
Capsized Boaters on Lake Huron
Amid high winds and rough water on Lake Huron near Harrisville, Michigan Department of Natural Resources conservation officers rescued two men after their sailboat flipped July 22, as well as a paddle boarder and kayaker who had attempted to reach the struggling sailboat.
The officers were in Harrisville Harbor during regular patrol when, at 10:59 a.m., Alcona County Central Dispatch advised of boaters in need of a water rescue: A 16-foot, catamaran-style sailboat had flipped over in Lake Huron, approximately 1.5 miles offshore and about three miles south of the harbor. It was estimated that the occupants of the sailboat had been in the water about one and a half hours before 911 was notified.
A National Weather Service small craft advisory was in effect Wednesday through evening hours, citing winds with gusts up to 29 mph, waves 5 feet or greater, and water temperature of 67 degrees.
Conservation officers Jeff Panich, Jesse Grzechowski, Alex Bourgeois, Nico Luna and Sgt. Jon Warner responded from Harrisville Harbor and fought through 5-foot waves to reach the sailboat.
The sailboat was successfully righted and then sailed to shore, accompanied most of the way by the CO patrol vessel. The sailboat’s occupants, a man estimated to be in his late 60s and a man in his early 30s, reportedly were vacationing in the area.
While returning to Harrisville Harbor, the COs encountered a man on a paddle board approximately a mile offshore who had attempted to assist the sailboat. However, the wind and waves were blowing him further offshore and he was unable to return to the beach. The officers pulled the man, a 62-year-old from Ortonville, into their boat and continued on, next spotting a man in a kayak.
Upon reaching the kayak, officers determined this man, too, had set out from the beach attempting to assist the sailboat but found himself unable to return to shore. As the CO patrol boat approached the kayak, a wave tipped the man — not wearing a life jacket — off the kayak. The 53-year-old visiting from Joplin, Mo., was safely pulled into the CO boat.
Both men, the paddle board and the kayak were safely brought to shore in Harrisville Harbor at approximately 1 p.m. Because the CO boat was able to reach everyone before the situation became more serious, none of the people rescued, including the sailboat occupants, requested or required follow-up medical treatment.
Michigan DNR conservation officers are fully licensed law enforcement officers who provide natural resources protection, ensure recreational safety, and protect residents through general law enforcement and lifesaving operations in the communities they serve. Learn more at Michigan.gov/ConservationOfficers.
The officers were in Harrisville Harbor during regular patrol when, at 10:59 a.m., Alcona County Central Dispatch advised of boaters in need of a water rescue: A 16-foot, catamaran-style sailboat had flipped over in Lake Huron, approximately 1.5 miles offshore and about three miles south of the harbor. It was estimated that the occupants of the sailboat had been in the water about one and a half hours before 911 was notified.
A National Weather Service small craft advisory was in effect Wednesday through evening hours, citing winds with gusts up to 29 mph, waves 5 feet or greater, and water temperature of 67 degrees.
Conservation officers Jeff Panich, Jesse Grzechowski, Alex Bourgeois, Nico Luna and Sgt. Jon Warner responded from Harrisville Harbor and fought through 5-foot waves to reach the sailboat.
The sailboat was successfully righted and then sailed to shore, accompanied most of the way by the CO patrol vessel. The sailboat’s occupants, a man estimated to be in his late 60s and a man in his early 30s, reportedly were vacationing in the area.
While returning to Harrisville Harbor, the COs encountered a man on a paddle board approximately a mile offshore who had attempted to assist the sailboat. However, the wind and waves were blowing him further offshore and he was unable to return to the beach. The officers pulled the man, a 62-year-old from Ortonville, into their boat and continued on, next spotting a man in a kayak.
Upon reaching the kayak, officers determined this man, too, had set out from the beach attempting to assist the sailboat but found himself unable to return to shore. As the CO patrol boat approached the kayak, a wave tipped the man — not wearing a life jacket — off the kayak. The 53-year-old visiting from Joplin, Mo., was safely pulled into the CO boat.
Both men, the paddle board and the kayak were safely brought to shore in Harrisville Harbor at approximately 1 p.m. Because the CO boat was able to reach everyone before the situation became more serious, none of the people rescued, including the sailboat occupants, requested or required follow-up medical treatment.
Michigan DNR conservation officers are fully licensed law enforcement officers who provide natural resources protection, ensure recreational safety, and protect residents through general law enforcement and lifesaving operations in the communities they serve. Learn more at Michigan.gov/ConservationOfficers.
Birding Walks Continue at Kellogg Sanctuary
Join Kellogg Bird Sanctuary staff and fellow bird enthusiasts on the fourth Thursday of each month through October to practice identification skills by sight and sound on a walk through the Sanctuary.
All walks run from 9 to 10:30 a.m. Participants in the guided walks will meet at the Resource Center building, then walk down to Wintergreen Lake to look for birds of the season. Walk dates are July 23, Aug. 27, Sept. 24 and Oct. 22.
The cost of attendance for Sanctuary members is $6 for adults, $5 for seniors and students, and $4 for children ages 2-17. For non-members, admission is $8 for adults, $7 for seniors and students, and $6 for children ages 2-17. Though the program is geared toward adults, avid junior birders are also welcome.
No registration is required. Visitors are encouraged to bring their own binoculars.
The W.K. Kellogg Bird Sanctuary’s mission is to conserve native habitat for migratory and resident birds and to promote environmental awareness through research, education and outreach. Since 1928, the Sanctuary has served as a practical training school for animal care and land management, and remains an innovator in wildlife conservation efforts.
The Sanctuary is located at 12685 East C Ave., one mile north of M-89 and just west of 40th Street. To learn more, visit birdsanctuary.kbs.msu.edu. Questions? Write to birdsanctuary@kbs.msu.edu or call (269) 671-2510.
All walks run from 9 to 10:30 a.m. Participants in the guided walks will meet at the Resource Center building, then walk down to Wintergreen Lake to look for birds of the season. Walk dates are July 23, Aug. 27, Sept. 24 and Oct. 22.
The cost of attendance for Sanctuary members is $6 for adults, $5 for seniors and students, and $4 for children ages 2-17. For non-members, admission is $8 for adults, $7 for seniors and students, and $6 for children ages 2-17. Though the program is geared toward adults, avid junior birders are also welcome.
No registration is required. Visitors are encouraged to bring their own binoculars.
The W.K. Kellogg Bird Sanctuary’s mission is to conserve native habitat for migratory and resident birds and to promote environmental awareness through research, education and outreach. Since 1928, the Sanctuary has served as a practical training school for animal care and land management, and remains an innovator in wildlife conservation efforts.
The Sanctuary is located at 12685 East C Ave., one mile north of M-89 and just west of 40th Street. To learn more, visit birdsanctuary.kbs.msu.edu. Questions? Write to birdsanctuary@kbs.msu.edu or call (269) 671-2510.
