Up to my ears in SAGE!---Harvesting and freezing herbs

Tom Thumb poses with the giant sage bush while opening his bag  to collect the herb harvest.

I'm a little tardy for the party this year in terms of harvesting herbs.  We have a small herb garden in our yard that is home to all my favorites --- parsley, basil, rosemary, thyme, chives, mint, oregano, and sage.  Our sage went absolutely BONKERS this year and became a small bush.  I finally cut it back today with Tom Thumb's help and also cut some of the remaining rosemary, thyme and oregano.

Here's the monster sage---

 My baby stick of rosemary...

 A ton of thyme...

I also learned my lesson about oregano---bury the pot it comes in underground with it.  My oregano is now a ground cover in the herb garden!


The real question though is what to do with this overabundance of sage?  I'll probably freeze most of it, but it has also inspired me to try to make my own smudge sticks.  My kitchen certainly could use some purification.  Maybe the kids would complain less about my cooking?  Ha ha!  So I'll hang some to dry as well.  I also found this link to 45 things to do with fresh sage.


After doing my research, here's the skinny on freezing fresh herbs:

First, wash those little stinkers.  Literally!  It smells so good in my kitchen!)

Then, pat dry.

Pick off all the wilted or brown or spotted leaves, if you haven't done it already.

Remove the rest of the leaves off the stems (except for thyme.  Leave those leaves attached).

Bag 'em, tag 'em, and toss 'em in the freezer.  

Voila---fresh herbs to add to recipes in the winter!

I finished the rosemary, thyme and a bit of oregano.  I think I could harvest oregano forever and still not run out.  The sage is resting peacefully on my counter awaiting my next move.

Tonight is Tom Thumb's belt test in karate for yellow belt---woo hoo!  Can't wait to report how that turns out.  

One more quick thing --- if you live near a Kroger grocery store, you must partake in some store brand salted caramel truffle ice cream.  Happiness on a spoon!