If you want to dry the sage from your garden or the one you bought, you can consider yourself lucky as it is one of the aromatic herbs that lend themselves more to drying since the leaves contain only little moisture. If you want, you can hang it and let it dry naturally in the air, but first you have to prepare it by separating and washing the leaves. To speed up the time, you can dehydrate it in the oven or in the dryer. Once dry, just keep it in an airtight container to make it last a long time.
Steps
Method 1 of 5: Prepare the Sage Leaves
Step 1. Remove the leaves from the stem
Since sage leaves are quite thick, it is best to separate them from the stem before drying them. Gently peel them off and place them on a clean tea towel.
You can easily peel them off with your hands or if you prefer you can use scissors, but it will take longer
Step 2. Throw away any imperfect or damaged leaves
Check them one at a time to make sure they are healthy. Discard damaged or imperfect ones as they may have an unpleasant taste that would ruin your dishes.
Step 3. Check for bugs
Insects are frequent visitors to gardens and nurseries. Look at every single leaf to make sure there are no traces of their presence, for example eaten parts, filaments or dots that could be eggs.
Eliminate any insects and throw away any leaves on which you found eggs or filaments
Step 4. Wash the leaves with cold water
Hold them under running water for a few seconds. For convenience you can put them inside a colander or, if they are few, you can simply hold them in your hand. After rinsing them carefully, shake them gently to remove excess water, then arrange them to dry on a clean kitchen towel.
Step 5. Dab the sage leaves to dry them
Try to absorb the moisture by pressing them gently with another clean cloth. Once dry, transfer them to a third towel.
Method 2 of 5: Air-dry the sage
Step 1. Tie the leaves into a bunch
Take them one at a time, holding them by the small stem. Each bunch should not consist of more than eight leaves to ensure adequate air circulation.
Step 2. Tie the stems with thread, a rubber band or a piece of string
Wrap or roll it around the stems gathered together. Leave some extra thread or twine to hang the bunch or add a new piece.
Unlike thread or twine, the elastic will tighten around the stems as they lose volume as they dry out, so the leaves won't fall off
Step 3. Cover the bunch of sage with a paper bag for pitted bread
It will serve as a protection against dust while still allowing air to circulate and dry the leaves. Place the bag on top of one or more bunches of leaves and leave it open.
- You can use a piece of muslin gauze in place of the paper bag. Don't use plastic or the leaves will eventually get moldy.
- Since herbs are beautiful to look at, some people prefer to avoid covering them, but it is important to preserve or clean them often of dust.
Step 4. Hang the sage leaves in a well-ventilated area, out of direct sunlight
The bunches are hung on a thread upside down. It is important to choose a well-ventilated place, away from the humidity that comes from the stove.
- It is preferable to dry the sage indoors to better preserve its color and flavor.
- Alternatively, you can let the leaves dry on the kitchen paper. Arrange them so they don't overlap and change the paper frequently as it absorbs moisture.
- Do not keep the leaves in an area where they can get wet, for example near the sink, dishwasher or stove.
Step 5. Turn the bunches daily or every other day to dry the leaves evenly
Untie the thread you hung them with and change their places. Even if you think all leaves are equally exposed to the air, each side may dry out at a different rate. It is possible that one side is receiving more air or more light than the other and therefore the leaves are drying faster.
Step 6. Make sure mold does not form if the weather is humid
Aromatic herbs have a tendency to mold when exposed to moisture. It is possible to dry them even when the air is humid, but it is important to keep them constantly monitored. If you notice black spots or whitish spots appear on the sage leaves, untie them immediately.
If the current climate is very humid, it is best to dry the sage using another method, for example with the dryer
Step 7. Let the leaves dry for 7-10 days
Check them daily to assess progress. The leaves must have time to dry out, using them ahead of time will end up ruining them.
Step 8. Examine the leaves to see if they are ready
Take a test to see if they are dry and crumbly: take one and see if you can easily crumble it between your fingers. If the result is positive, it means that the sage is ready.
Step 9. Take one last step to rule out any eggs or insects
Some of them may have escaped you during your initial inspection, so it's important to take precautions. You can use the oven or the freezer.
- If you prefer to use the oven, heat the leaves to 70 ° C for half an hour. Do not exceed 30 minutes or you could damage the sage.
- Alternatively, you can put the dried leaves in the freezer for 48 hours.
- If you've dried sage in the oven or dryer, no further heating or freezing is required.
Method 3 of 5: Dry the Sage in the Dryer
Step 1. Set the dryer to low temperature
The ideal temperature is between 35 and 46 ° C. With moderate heat the sage dries more slowly, but the chances of accidentally cooking it (spoiling it) are minimized.
If the weather is very humid, you may want to set the dryer to 52 ° C
Step 2. Distribute the leaves on the tray avoiding overlapping
They must not touch each other or they will not dry properly. If you have a lot of sage leaves, you will need to dry them a little at a time.
Step 3. Dry the sage by itself to prevent the aromas from mixing
For convenience, you may want to dry several varieties of herbs or vegetables at the same time, but be careful as the flavors may mix. The advice is to dry only one ingredient at a time.
Step 4. Check the sage every half hour to see if it's ready
Depending on the dryer model, it may take one to four hours for it to dry. Read the instruction manual of the appliance to find out what the recommended time is.
Step 5. Assess if the leaves have dried out
Watch them to see if they have become hard and crumbly. If they seem ready to you, grab one and see if you can easily crumble it between your fingers. If so, it means the sage is ready.
Method 4 of 5: Dry the Sage in the Oven
Step 1. Arrange the leaves on a baking sheet avoiding overlapping
It is best to line the baking sheet with parchment paper before placing the sage. Make sure the leaves don't touch each other or they won't dry out evenly. If some parts remain moist, the sage could soon become moldy.
Step 2. Turn on the oven and set it to the lowest possible temperature
Heat can easily damage the sage's oils, color and flavor, so it's important to set the oven to a minimum to reduce this risk. Let the leaves dry slowly at the lowest temperature available to avoid damaging them.
The highest temperature allowed is 80 ° C
Step 3. Leave the door slightly open if the oven is electric
In this way the air can circulate and dry the leaves. In addition, the temperature will not rise excessively.
If the oven is gas, do not leave the door ajar as it could be dangerous. Simply close the door every 5 minutes to let the moisture escape
Step 4. Turn the leaves after 30 minutes
Take the pan out of the oven and place it on a heat-resistant surface. Put on your oven mitts and use tongs or a fork to flip them one at a time, then put them in the oven again.
Step 5. Let the sage dry for an hour
Set the kitchen timer at 15-minute intervals to check that it's not drying out faster than expected.
If it looks like it's ready ahead of time, take it out of the oven. The risk of it drying out too much is very high
Step 6. Verify that it is actually ready
The leaves must become hard and crumbly. Rub one between your fingers to see if you can crumble it easily.
Method 5 of 5: Store the Salvia
Step 1. Crumble the sage
If you intend to use it as a condiment in the kitchen, it is best to crush it. Gently rub the leaves between your fingers to crumble them.
Leave them whole if you prefer to keep them tied in a bunch
Step 2. Transfer the sage to an airtight container
You can use a glass jar, plastic container, or food bag. Make sure you close it tightly to prevent moisture from seeping in and causing the leaves to mold.
Step 3. Keep the container in a cool, dry corner of the kitchen
If the weather is humid, you can put it in the refrigerator.
