Growing Sage in a Container Garden

I recently received a young sage plant as a gift and hope it will flourish in my garden.  Sage is a perennial and a sun lover, so it should weather the Florida summer.

Growing sage in a container garden can be very rewarding.  Sage is a very versatile herb with many applications that have nothing to do with the culinary arts.  In the 17th century the condition of a family's sage bush was thought to reflect the condition of the family's financial health.  If your sage bush flourished the family was thought to be doing well financially.  Sage oil has been used medicinally as an antiseptic, astringent and to fight infection. In ancient Rome, women would soak their hair in a concentrated sage tea in order to darken their hair color.

If you do decide to use your sage for cooking, it is commonly used to flavor meats, especially pork, turkey or chicken dishes.  Here is a simple recipe which showcases your sage.  This recipe is from Cooking Light.

Maple-Sage Roasted Pork Tenderloin

Ingredients

• 1  tablespoon  maple syrup
• 1  teaspoon  chopped fresh sage
• 1/2  teaspoon  salt
• 1/4  teaspoon  freshly ground black pepper
• 1  (1-pound) pork tenderloin, trimmed
• Cooking spray

Preparation

1. Combine first 5 ingredients in a large zip-top plastic bag; seal and turn to coat. Marinate in refrigerator 30 minutes.
2. Preheat oven to 400°.
3. Remove pork from bag. Place pork on a foil-lined baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Bake at 400° for 25 minutes or until a thermometer registers 155°. Cover loosely with foil. Let stand 10 minutes before slicing.