When to harvest sage and how to store dried leaves
Content
Sage collection procedure
Sage is a perennial herb with a full growing season of two years. Therefore, a full-fledged sage harvest begins from the second year of the plant's life. In the year of sowing the crop, the first crop can only be harvested in the fall. In all subsequent years, the grass is harvested in two stages: in summer (late June - July) and in autumn (September - early October).
For medical purposes, the leaves and tops of the shoots are used, since it is in these parts of the plant that the maximum amount of nutrients and esters is concentrated. In the first two years, only the lower leaves are collected from the bush, and in the future, raw materials are harvested from the entire ground part. At the same time, you can collect the leaves both with your hands and with the help of scissors, pruning shears, sickle - sage grows quickly, and cut off at the base in summer, it again forms a young bush by autumn.
It is advisable to harvest sage on warm sunny days when the plant is dry. Dirty, dusty grass should first be rinsed with water from a watering can or hose, and then wait until the plants are completely dry. When collecting raw materials for a medicine, you need to make sure that diseased or insect-damaged shoots do not get into the total mass.
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In summer time
Summer sage harvest is carried out in early summer (late June), when the inflorescences begin to bloom. The herb harvested during this period is more saturated with ethers, and therefore is of particular value for traditional medicine, as well as for cooking - dry plants are considered a spice, and are successfully used as an additive to many dishes.
For drying, choose undamaged shoots with dark green foliage, as well as buds that have not fully blossomed. Summer grass harvesting lasts about 20 days, until mid-July. Then the sage fades, and seeds begin to ripen in place of the inflorescences. During this period, the green part of the plant coarsens, and the concentration of useful components decreases, so it is inappropriate to collect grass. The culture reproduces well by self-sowing - dry seeds that have fallen into the soil germinate after the first rain.
Collection in autumn
The second harvest of sage herb lasts from late September to mid-October, when the plants are fully recovered from the hot summer. By the fall, self-sown bushes will form and grow stronger, and velvety greens will grow again on the bushes cut in summer, and buds will appear. The concentration of nutrients in autumn grass is in no way inferior to that harvested in summer, so the autumn harvest is no less valuable.
In the fall, sage is also harvested on dry days. If the weather is often rainy, you need to wait until the plants are completely dry, and only then collect.Do not use bushes growing within the city limits for drying, especially along roads - such plants are saturated with industrial emissions and exhaust gases. For food and medicine, it is important that the herb is of good quality and harvested correctly.
How to store sage
Drying is necessary for long-term storage of sage. Correctly harvested and well dried grass can be stored for up to 2 years under the following conditions:
- a container for storing dry leaves must be breathable (made of natural materials: cardboard, parchment, cotton) - storage in tightly closed glass or metal jars is allowed, but not more than a year;
- the place or room for storing harvested grass should be dry, well-ventilated and preferably dark;
- you should not store dried sage in bunches, as the grass quickly burns out and loses its useful and taste qualities - it is better to separate the leaves and inflorescences from the dried shoots, and then place them in containers intended for storage;
- it is necessary to regularly check the quality of dry raw materials, since very often various pests start in the grass: food moth, mold;
- it is better to store dry raw materials separately from other herbs and products, because a strong sage aroma tends to quickly evaporate, mix and absorb.
It should also be borne in mind that in bags, boxes, bags, raw materials are stored longer, but at the same time its aroma disappears, and in tightly closed containers the aroma lasts longer, but the shelf life of the herb is reduced due to the lack of ventilation.
Drying
Only intact leaves and tops of sage shoots are suitable for drying - the lower stems, as a rule, are very rough, almost woody, so we do not harvest them for future use. Drying of sage leaves is carried out in several ways:
- leaves and young shoots are torn off the stems by hand and placed on a covered metal surface, for example, a baking sheet, covered with gauze or cloth in one layer, and placed in a dry, well-ventilated place;
- an easier way is to dry the grass without breaking off the leaves - cut plants should be laid out on paper in a layer of 30-40 cm under a canopy in a warm place, and after drying, thresh the inflorescences and leaves;
- drying grass in bunches is also popular - for this method, the plants are tied, suspended with inflorescences down, and after drying, the dry foliage is separated from the stems;
- Artificial drying is the fastest and most effective way, as it allows you to save more healing essential oils - when using a dryer, you need to make sure that the temperature in it does not rise above 35 ° C, since when overheated, the healing and essential properties of the herb evaporate.
Natural drying of sage leaves is carried out only outdoors, under awnings, where moisture does not get. Dry grass is very fragrant, but if it is not dried properly, it can develop a musty, unpleasant odor. To prevent this from happening, we constantly monitor the temperature and humidity of the air when we harvest the plants - the temperature regime should be at the level of 30-35 ° C, and the humidity should not exceed 13%.
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