For the last three years I have considered taking the Master Gardener program through Purdue Extension.
My mom took the course through Ohio State’s Extension when I was in middle school and took away so much that made the flowers in the landscaping around our home spectacular.
It seems like it would be a great course to take to learn more about gardening, veggies and flowers, how dirt is composed, etcetera, etcetera. Maybe even get more into flowers in my own landscaping… which, right now, is pretty pathetic.
Plus, I would be able to share my new found knowledge with all of you… and have a little more creditability than my experiences and library/youtube/Pinterest research.
But the course is a big commitment. Bigger than I can make with my job that can pull me anywhere in the Midwest at a moment’s notice. And, in the spirit of being honest, bigger than I can make with my limited amount of free time. (See also: No blog since last week…)
What I have tried to do is seek out workshops or events that the Master Gardener programs in various surrounding counties host. Or, even just go visit their community gardens.
Late last summer, I went Marion County’s (Indy, basically for the non-Hoosiers here) Master Gardener garden at the state fairgrounds.
It was a fun morning checking out all the unique produce the gardeners had planted. Being late summer, the garden was full of vibrant and intense colors from the tomatoes, eggplant, swiss chard, peppers, and more.
There were also gorgeous flowers throughout the garden that left me inspired to try to update my own landscaping at home… but, flash forward nearly a year later, it still hasn’t happened.
But, what really blew away were the garden’s herbs. They were unbelievable. The herbs were huge, full and so incredibly fragrant.
Last summer, I struggled with herbs a bit, really only finding success in basil, oregano, mint and parsley.
This year, my herbs have done so well. Even Adam has noticed. (He tends to be more interested in the big produce than the herbs.)
In addition to basil, oregano, parsley and mint, I have thyme, rosemary, dill, cilantro and sage in pots on the patio. I keep them in pots so that they are easy to get to when I am cooking in the kitchen. I love to brighten up a dish with fresh herbs and have used them for years so I am really familiar with their flavors.
Except for sage.
Last summer’s trip to the Master Gardener Garden might be the first time I have ever seen fresh sage.
And I quickly fell in love.
It is incredibly aromatic with a scent similar to a lemon with a touch of spiciness.
In researching sage a little more I have learned that it’s aroma is thought to keep away negative vibes and spirits. It may be because it has aromatic healing powers to lift moods, ease anxiety, and calm stress when smelled.
… No wonder I fell in love with it so quickly.
This summer, I have experimented with sage more and more in the kitchen. It can be used fresh or dried and is often found in holiday dishes, like stuffing or soups, because of its pleasant, savory lemon flavor.
We found that baked with little gold potatoes using bacon grease versus oil, the flavors are strong and the sage leaves crisp up like a little savory chip.
- 3 pound bag of golden baby potatoes
- 1 cup of sage leaves, chopped
- 4 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1/2 cup of bacon grease
- Salt and Pepper
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Clean potatoes and place in a pot of salted cold water and bring to a boil. Cook for ten minutes or until tender.
- Drain and place potatoes in a baking dish with sage and garlic. Pour bacon grease over the potatoes and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
- Bake for about 40 minutes.
- The bacon grease will make the potatoes crispy and give them a great flavor. I just cooked a few slices of bacon in a skillet and poured the grease over the potatoes from the skillet. The bacon slices became Adam's breakfast the next morning!
Try a variegated sage next year, if your plant doesn’t come back. Yellow and green add are really pretty and a great backdrop to flowers, as it cascades down the pot. Mine did over winter one year…
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