Partly Sage, Strawberries and Time, by Jill Kuhel

sageBy a great piece of luck a lovely women related to my distant cousin by marriage moved in two doors down from my dad in the nursing home. We have the best talks. I wish I had met her before she was turning 90 in what she calls the waiting room to heaven. I had brought her a bowl of strawberries from my yard. She told me about the year her husband thought he was being helpful by fertilizing her strawberry patch. They grew lush and tall, but no strawberries. I said they have to suffer to make good fruit. Then we laughed at how that applied to life. She told me to carry that with me! What a blessing she is!

Eating from your yard tip: There was a medieval saying, “Why should a man die while sage grows in his garden?” So eat up! The leaves and flowers are edible and taste similar. Cut up garden sage and mix it in cream cheese or ground pork, dried sage sprinkled on hot popcorn, fry sage leaves quickly in hot oil (move over kale chips), put sage between meat and veggies on your kabob, add to vinegar or vodka or make some tea! Top your salad with the flowers. When you’re finished eating sage, sage is still not done giving. Garden sage will clean your teeth, take a leaf and rub it on your teeth! Now be creative, get messy and eat sage!

Jill Kuhel