Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme

By: Pfeiffer in Floral & Fauna on Apr. 7, 2011

Apart from parsley, thyme and rosemary – for the scent, sage is essential for herbal plant beds. Herbs are traditionally planted in a spiral bed preferably close to the kitchen door. A spiral herb-bed contains all kitchen herbs arranged in a spiral design. This means that plants can be grown in a relatively small space on varying height levels. For building the spiral a sun absorbing material should be used, such as stones that can save the heat and warm the soil. Drainage also varies in a spiral bed, therefore plants that normally need very different growing conditions can be planted side by side.
Sage is very valuable in herb gardens because of the many medicinal and culinary uses. The thick hairy surface of the leaves is the main feature of these plants. They are perennial and they always have an evergreen appearance. Garden sage flower blossoms are small and they are white to purple in colour. The plants grow to a height of approximately two feet. The furry leaves have a greyish-green colour; the backside of the leaves is often white. In Italian cuisine the leaves are fried in vegetable oil for three to five seconds. They are served as a crispy and savoury garnish for soups or meat. In the American kitchen garden sage is traditionally used for the Thanks Giving turkey stuffing.
Salvia officinalis is the botanical name for garden sage. Since the middle ages sage has been valued as a cure for many diseases. It was even attributed to fight off the plague. When brewed as tea sage has a very specific and strong taste. It has antibiotic properties. It can relieve an aching tummy or sooth a sore throat, mouth sores or gum infections. Sage has even been tested as a remedy for minor to modest Alzheimer’s disease.

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