Rubbed Sage.

Have you ever seen a recipe that calls for rubbed sage and wondered whether there was any difference between rubbed sage, ground sage and dried sage?

Well, there is.

Sage, (salvia officinalis) is a Mediterranean herb with a very intense flavor.



Although many purists will tell you that the only good sage is fresh sage, there are actually many applications for dried sage.

If you buy Dried Sage, you will generally find dried whole leaves in the jar.
You can use them whole in chicken soups or other similar applications where you want the flavor but not the leaves. Leaving them whole makes it easier to remove the leaf after you are done cooking.

If the entire leaf is ground into a fine powder, this is called ground sage. It is dense and heavy, like any powdered herb.


Rubbed sage consists of dried sage leaves that have been rubbed between two hard objects, (your hands will work just fine to make your own) so that the soft outer part of the leaf crumbles away leaving the harder stem to be discarded.

Rubbed sage is light and fluffy and looks almost like cotton.

There are many reasons to use rubbed sage instead of ground sage.

Rubbed sage, because of the friction, has the oils already disturbed so they will release into your food more quickly.

Rubbed sage also is lighter, and less concentrated, so a teaspoon of rubbed sage will be less intense than a teaspoon of ground sage. Sage can be a very intense and overpowering herb, and using rubbed sage in place of ground sage allows you to keep the sage flavor more subtle.

If you are following a recipe that calls for ground sage, and you want the sage to be a dominant flavor in the dish, you would need to use twice as much rubbed sage to have the same amount of flavor as ground sage.

You can make your own rubbed sage by taking a dried leaf of sage between your hand, holding it over a plate, and rubbing it briskly between your palms. The powdery soft portions of the leave will crumble away onto the plate leaving the hard stem in your hand.
The stem part is edible and has flavor, but is tough and will feel like you are eating sticks and twigs if you get it in your mouth when you bite into your stuffing or sausage.

The stems can still be used to brew tea or in any other application that will be strained or filtered before serving.

Herbed Olives

Hi everyone!

I love olives. I mean looove olives! I could just sit and eat a jar of them while watching tv. And I really love the gourmet olive blends you can find at olive bars in grocery stores or specialty shops.

I took these pictures at our local Kroger store.

I try to stay away from this section of the store! Why?

That’s why! Now don’t get me wrong, I have had many lack of willpower moments. I am only human after all.

Today, we are going to make our own gourmet olives! Yum!

Here is my basic recipe. I do make different flavors with different added goodies. I will give you those ideas at the end of the post.

What you will need:

• And airtight container
• 2 Tbs Olive oil
• 2 cups olives (your choice)
• 1 Tbs fresh Rosemary (about 1/2 if using dried)
• 2 garlic cloves
• 2 Tbs Fresh Oregano (1 Tbs if using dried)
• 2 Tbs Fresh Lemon Zest

In a bowl add olives and olive oil and mix. In a mortar (or bowl) add all the other ingredients and mash up. I add a little of the olive oil. You don’t need it to be completely paste like. You just want to bruise everything so the oils are released. Add to the olives and mix well. Refrigerate for one week. Of course, I have rarely let them sit that long. I just can’t help myself!

These would be so pretty in an old canning jar with a label and ribbon and given as a gift. I will be making gift baskets for the holidays and this is one of the things I plan to include.

With Thanksgiving and Christmas right around the corner, you can get good sales on olives. I used all fresh herbs from our garden plus garlic we just harvested. So, this is a very thrifty way to have gourmet olives. Way cheaper than the olive bar prices.

These are so nice to have when you have friends over. Create a little appetizer plate for everyone to nibble on.

 

Other things I add to  olives are:

Jalapenos

Lemon thyme

Pickled Cocktail onions

Marjoram

Roasted Red Peppers

Just go to your local olive bar and see what different things are added to all the olive combinations. Lots of fun ideas and tasty!

**Edited from original post at The Thrifty Groove.

Big Buck Contest

We are pleased announce our Big Buck Contest.

(And for those who got offended when I suggested they enter, please note, it is A Big BUCK Contest, not A Big Butt Contest.)

Here are the rules:


This contest will be coordinated through Facebook, so in order to enter, you,

must have, (or have access to), a Facebook account.

Here’s how it works.

Pick up a postcard with the DTL Herbs LTD logo on it from any of our market or show locations. Let us know you will be participating.

When you get your big buck, make sure at least one picture of you and your deer includes the postcard, (or any of our products,) with the Logo clearly visible. If we can see our logo, your face, and your deer, the picture qualifies.

Post the pic of your buck on Facebook, and share a link to that photo on our wall at

www.facebook.com/dtl.herbs.ltd. You are now officially entered.Winner

The first 5 people who enter by posting a qualifying pic will receive a free packet of Hunters Blend Dry Rub.

We aren’t Boone and Crockett or Pope & Young, so don’t worry about official scoring. All those numbers get confusing, (and don’t even get us started on normal vs. abnormal or typical vs. non-typical). Just count the number of points.

The qualifying entrant with the most points, whose photo is linked to our Facebook wall, will be deemed the Biggest Buck

The person who posts the Biggest Buck photo will be the winner of our Big Buck Contest, and will receive a Deer Hunters Gift Pack containing One package of Hunters Blend Dry Rub, 1 jar of Applemint Jelly and One package of Chili Seasoning.

In the event of a tie, a winner will be selected from among tied entrants by random drawing.

The contest ends and a winner will be selected Nov 18, 2011. The winner will be notified through face book.

A Big Thank You!

Hi everyone!

Just a quick note to say thank you to all our wonderful customers and the great vendors for making the Wyandotte Farmer's Market so much fun and such a great success! Today was our last market day for Wyandotte and what a beautiful day it was!

We are still at the Wayne, Livonia and Redford Farmer's markets.

Keep checking back here often to see where we will be throughout the winter months.

Thanks again Wyandotte!