Should I dry the sage before burning it?
Many people who burn smudge sticks as a religious practice INSIST on locally grown sage that was grown with 'good intent'. If you ARE growing it, be sure to give it a light rinse and let it air dry BEFORE you make your bundles.
Depending on the weather, the drying period for sage will be about one week. You also have to find a dry place to lay it out. For instance, if you lay it on the ground, it'll soak up moisture…so you really want to look for an area that's cool and dry.
You can grow and harvest sage in your backyard or buy it in a bundle. You'll find it in places like new age and health food stores, farmer's markets, and on the internet. If you grow it or harvest it fresh, let it sit and dry for about a week before burning. It should be crackle when squeezed as a bundle.
Lay out sage bundles in a single layer on the paper towel, then add another paper towel on top. Microwave for 30 seconds, then in 15 second increments. {mine are usually dried out and ready after a total of 2 minutes and 30 seconds} After leaves are dry and crunchy, remove and discard stems.
In the open air: Bundle your sage leaves together in groups of five or ten using twine or a rubber band. Cover the bundles with a perforated paper bag and hang them until dry. Depending on the humidity, this could take several days.
Extinguish your sage
Pro tip: Don't get it wet! "Don't use water to extinguish the hot embers—it will ruin the tip of the stick and make it harder to light next time. When you are done using the smudge stick, you can keep it in a vessel until you are ready to use it again," says McCann.
Sprinkle them on salads, whip up a batch of herb and blossom tempura, or make sage blossom jelly or syrup, the latter of which can be put to good use in co*cktails and lemonade. More: If you have more fresh sage than you know what to do with, try drying it. Begin your day with sage. Snack on some sage.
Place a paper bag with holes in it over your sage to protect it from dust, then hang the sage in a well-ventilated place for 7-10 days. Alternatively, place the sage leaves in a single layer on a cooking sheet before putting them in the oven on its lowest temperature for 1 hour.
First you start with a simple intention of focusing on clearing the negative energy out of your space and mind. Once you have your intention in mind, light the Sage or Palo Santo and hold at a 45 degree angle pointing the tip down towards the flame. Allow it to burn for 30 seconds and then blow it out.
"Smudging is very specific to prayer, so you can burn sage without smudging and you can smudge without needing to light sage on fire." Within some Native cultures, varieties of sage have different uses.
Do you burn the whole sage stick?
A common misconception with sage smudging is that you need to burn the whole stick, but D'Avilla suggests burning as much or as little as you need. "You don't need to use an entire smudge stick," she says.
Dried sage is preferred over fresh by most cooks and comes in a whole leaf, rubbed, and ground form. Rubbed sage has a light, velvety texture, whereas ground sage is more of a free-flowing powder. As with all dried herbs, store any form of dried sage in a closed container in a cool, dry place away from sunlight.
Dried herbs have a stronger flavour than fresh herbs, so you don't have to use as much in your cooking.
To clean sage leaves, pick them off from the main stalk, making sure that you leave behind any tough stem ends. Then give them a rinse under cool running water, followed by a spin in a salad spinner or a few presses between a couple layers of paper towels.
Wash the fresh sage leaves and make sure the excess water is removed. Skip this step if they're clean. Arrange the leaves on the rack or drying screen. Make sure to create a space between them for air to circulate.
Garden or common sage will do the trick, too. Other smudging plants to use include cedar, sweetgrass, and sagebrush. Various herbs and wildflowers make as wonderful additions to your smudge stick. Resinous herbs you may have laying around that you can use include thyme, yarrow, lavender, rosemary, and pine.
Because of all that complicated history of sage burning, when non-Native people use white sage to "smudge" their homes or other spaces, it infringes upon the cultural importance and authenticity of the ritual and prayer — simply, it's cultural appropriation.
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Benefits of burning sage are believe to include:
- Removing bacteria from the air.
- Repelling insects.
- Improving intuition.
- Purifying specific objects.
- Improving mood and reducing stress and anxiety.
Cooking with Sage
The herb is rarely, if ever, used raw, because its aroma and flavor is best released when cooked (plus the herb is a little bit too pungent to be consumed raw). However, you don't want to temper its flavor too much, so add fresh sage at the end of cooking.
As part of your care of potted sage herbs, you will need to keep the plants in a warm area, away from drafts, in temperatures around 70 degrees F. (21 C.). Provide humidity when growing sage indoors, with a nearby pebble tray or humidifier. Including other herbs in containers nearby will also help.
How do you pick sage without killing a plant?
How do you harvest sage without killing the plant? In order to harvest sage without killing the plant, keep some leaves on it at all times. Be very careful never to remove all of them. Also, never pull the entire thing out or cut it all the way down to the ground.
When you reach a window or door, waft the smoke into all four corners, beginning at the bottom left and moving in a clockwise direction. Open cabinets and closets and waft inside. The last room you smudge should be the one with the front door.
However, if you are doing it for the scent, the smoke can rise to toxic levels. This can irritate your dog's lungs. If he has a pre-existing respiratory illness such as bronchitis and asthma, the smoke may irritate his system.
Burning dried white sage, or saging, originated with Native Americans, who used it as many do today: To cleanse of purify a space, according to an article by Rosalyn La Pier, a professor at the University of Montana.
As long as you're respectful, we firmly believe that smudging and use of other sacred medicines is perfectly acceptable for those who do not come from Indigenous culture.
The key distinction is in how the two species are used. While common sage is often used in cooking, white sage is more commonly used in incense rituals and as a fragrant plant. This is because white sage exudes a much more intense, tart and resinous scent. Another distinguishing feature is the leaves.
A practice old as time, developed by indigenous peoples, burning sage — also known as “smudging” — has been traditionally used to help clear negative energy. However, fast forward thousands of years, and high-wire anxiety is not only common but expected.
Light it up with care
Hold the sage at a 45-degree angle, light the sage, let it burn for about 20 seconds and then gently blow out the flame so that you see orange embers on one end. Then you can start the process of clearing your space.
1/11 Can You Use a Sage Stick Multiple Times
Although it is preferable to use a fresh one each time, you can use the same sage stick more than once.
Smudging can be done at any time of day or night, whenever it is needed.
What kind of sage do you burn for cleansing?
White sage is probably the most common and popular herb for smudging. It is associated with purity and has a strong and heavy presence. It's very useful when you need a major space cleansing.
Sage comes dried as leaves, rubbed or ground. Ground sage is made by grinding the entire leaf into a fine powder like any powdered herb. Rubbed sage is made by rubbing dried whole sage leaves to create a light and fluffy mix.
We recommend rubbed sage because it has the best flavor. Here's the conversion ratio: What is this? Ratio: For 8 large or 12 medium sage leaves or 1 tablespoon fresh chopped sage, substitute 1 teaspoon rubbed sage.
Ground sage is best in recipes where you are looking for some added piney and woody flavor. For a more pronounced sage flavor and a light and fluffy texture rubbed, is your best choice. Rubbed sage is perfect for holiday turkey stuffing as well as Italian and Greek dishes.
Cleveland Sage (Salvia clevelandii), also known as California blue sage, is one of the most powerfully scented sages of all, freely releasing fragrance into the air with no leaf-rubbing required.
It is also the most preferred type as it produces less dust, burn more efficiently, and stay lit for a longer duration than the actual leaves. For the most perfect White Sage incense sticks, click here.
✨ AROMATIC WHITE SAGE: The most common and popular herb for smudging. White Sage is associated with purity, has a strong and heavy presence. It is beneficial when you need a space or spiritual cleansing.
First, use a sharp knife to cut off a young shoot approximately 6 centimeters below the leaf crown. Then strip off the lower leaves so that the cutting is left with at least three pairs of leaves. Now plant the cutting into compost soil and water it carefully. Make sure that the soil is always moist.
3) Reuse your sage
Instead, if you break your sage bundle apart, you can divide it into portions and use it over time. Rationed carefully, a sage bundle is meant to last long enough that you can return to it over and over again, for repeated benefits. Burn your sage until it goes out on its own.
Trim your sage plants in the springtime instead, just as new leaves begin to emerge. Live woody stems can easily be mistaken for dead stems if they are pruned too early, so it is best to wait until some new growth emerges before starting.
Can you dry sage on the stalk?
Pull the leaves from the stalk.
Since sage has a thick leaf, it dries well off of the stalk. Gently pull off each leaf and place it on a clean towel. You could also use sharp scissors to cut the leaves from the stalk, but this is more time consuming.
Collect the sage leaves. Wash and dry the leaves before proceeding to drying them.
After clearing and cleansing, extinguish your sage stick by gently pressing it into the abalone shell or a clay dish, glass bowl or ashtray. You can also allow it to burn out on its own. Some people like to wait 20-30 minutes to allow the sage smoke to reach maximum potency.
Cool Air: Wash then pat with a soft cloth to remove moisture. Layer a cookie sheet with paper towels and then arrange stems in a single layer. Place in the refrigerator and remove once they are completely dried (check daily).
Freeze Fresh Sage
If you don't want to refrigerate your fresh sage, you can always freeze the leaves. To do so, wash and pat them dry, remove the leaves from the stems, and pack them loosely in freezer bags for up to one year.
Sage is often found in many holiday dishes and is commonly used to season poultry or sausage, infuse butter, or to add flavor to root vegetables like sweet potatoes or parsnips. In fact, the most common time you've probably tasted sage and not even known it is in a Thanksgiving stuffing.
Garden or common sage will do the trick, too. Other smudging plants to use include cedar, sweetgrass, and sagebrush. Various herbs and wildflowers make as wonderful additions to your smudge stick. Resinous herbs you may have laying around that you can use include thyme, yarrow, lavender, rosemary, and pine.
The key distinction is in how the two species are used. While common sage is often used in cooking, white sage is more commonly used in incense rituals and as a fragrant plant. This is because white sage exudes a much more intense, tart and resinous scent. Another distinguishing feature is the leaves.
