Nutrition
| Per 100 g | Per 1 oz (28 g) | |
|---|---|---|
| Energy | 332 kcal | 94 kcal |
| Protein | 11.1 g | 3.2 g |
| Fat | 13.5 g | 3.8 g |
| saturated | 7.5 g | 2.1 g |
| Carbohydrate | 21.6 g | 6.1 g |
| sugars | 1.8 g | 0.5 g |
| Fibre | 42.3 g | 12 g |
| Sodium | 12 mg | 3 mg |
Estimated from the ingredients, for the finished dried product. Actual values vary with the produce you use and how far you dry it.
Ingredients
- 650 g fresh sage leaves
Instructions
- Sage lies to you. The leaf is thick and covered in fine hairs, so the surface goes dry and papery while the middle is still wet, and it will take noticeably longer than its size suggests.
- Cut the leaves in the morning after the dew has gone but before the sun has been on them for long. That is when the plant is holding the most of what you are drying it for.
- Wash them and shake them out, then lay them on a towel until the fuzz no longer looks damp. Those hairs hold water better than a smooth leaf does, so give it a few extra minutes.
- Take the leaves off the stems and set them out flat, none of them overlapping. Sage is thick enough that a leaf sitting on another leaf stays wet underneath while everything around it finishes.
- Use a fine mesh insert rather than bare slats. A dried sage leaf weighs nothing, and the fan will take it to the element given the chance.
- Dry at 40 °C for 6 hours. Test from the midpoint by folding a leaf in half: it should break in two, not crease.
- Let the trays stand until the leaves are cold before judging any of them, and this matters more here than on any other herb — a warm sage leaf will convince you it is finished when it is not.
- Crumble it or keep it whole, and whole is worth it if the jar allows: crushed sage fades faster. About a third of the fresh weight comes back as dried leaf.
- Seal it in glass and keep it in the dark — this is the herb a roast dinner wants in October, so it needs to last. A week in, check the glass for mist and put the lot back on a tray if you find any.
