You call it "tea". I call it "tisane".

  Meandering about the hillside, I have been known to snatch a snack or two from wild berries or fruit trees.  Blackberries, huckleberries and wild persimmons can be found along the pathways and make for the perfect, healthy snack.  It is, also, not uncommon for me to pick a few leaves from these hikes and then add to my "bouquet" from the garden.  The leaves are used to make tisanes which are my preferred drinks.  There is nothing like a fresh brewed tisane to brighten the day!  

  When I tell folks that my gathered leaves are to make a drink, I often get some pretty odd looks.  Then, if I mention the word "tisane", the looks are even funnier.  Folks are perplexed by the term.  "What is a tisane?" often spills out of their mouths.  Well, a tisane is a decoction made with herbs, spices or leaves.  "Oh, you meant to say "tea". they proudly announce.  Nope.  There is no "tea" in my tisane so technically, it is not "tea".  Well, about this time, folks get really flustered at me and ask for coffee.  I am good with that as I like coffee, too!

  The other day, I had to linger under the wild persimmon tree as I waited on the old dog to catch up with me.  As I stood there looking at those fine leaves, I just had to pluck a handful.  Then, as I passed through the garden gate, I added some rosemary and pineapple sage to my bouquet.  Ummm!  Those smelled so fine that I could hardly wait to get inside to brew my concoction!  Fresh herbs and leaves make the finest drink!  

  So, folks, it is ok by me if you prefer to call your drink by the name of "herbal tea".  I shall call mine a "tisane".  Either way, the drinks are healthy and tasty!  The name matters not!

The "Other" Sage

  A few years back, I was sad to see that my pineapple sage did not make it through the winter.  We had a few hard freezes and lots of rains so I think that is what caused the problems.  The ground stayed soggy and then the cold weather froze everything.  After that incident, I hopefully learned a lesson on growing the plant.  Water the plant often but never let those roots wade around in soggy dirt!  

  This summer, my sweet sister-in-law, Linda, sent me a new "start" of the pineapple sage.  I pondered sticking in the garden but then had flashbacks to the dead plant of winters past.  Nope.  this sage would be in a pot so it can head to the greenhouse when Jack Frost comes to visit.  Old Man Winter cannot have all of my herbs!   Now the sage is growing like a bad weed and has finally decided to bloom.  Normally, pineapple sage blooms in the late fall but I think our winter confuses everything.  Not that I am complaining as it adds some happy color to the drab winter garden.  

  This evening a happy coincident occurred.  While I was studying some herbal remedies, a few notes on pineapple sage came my attention.  It seems that scientists are studying the herb and its ability to help with memory issues and with anxiety.  While I don't tend to be bothered with anxiety, age is creeping up on me and the memory may start dulling.  If this plant can help with that, you can be sure that there will always be one (or many) growing around here.  A good cup of sage tea or a few leaves and blooms in fruit salad may just become regular things around here.   So...it is good for you, tastes and smells delightfully similar to pineapple and can help me think.  Sounds like a good plant to me!  

My "cup of tea"!

Ahh, yes!  My lovely Pineapple Sage is in bloom!  This is the first year that I have had any luck growing this super useful plant and I am thrilled to see the red blossoms as that means it is healthy!  The Pineapple Sage is a plant grown usually in Mexico and Guatemala where it is used extensively in herbal medicines.  It has been said that Pineapple Sage is useful in treating anxiety and high blood pressure.  The sage leaves and flowers are edible and have a decidedly fruity scent and flavor.  It can be used in any number of dishes from breads to main dishes and most everything in between!  The leaves can be steeped in water or in (my favorite for winter!) apple juice to make a tasty and healthy tisane!

The Pineapple Sage can grow up to four feet or so in height although mine is still quite small.  I planted mine in pots so I could "baby" it for the first year.  Even after the frost kills it to the ground, it should grow back in the spring.  Since mine are in pots, I will try to overwinter some just to have fresh herbs to use during the colder months ahead.  This summer when I was drying some of the leaves, I pushed a few stems in a Mason jar of water and set it on the window ledge.  It was a happy surprise when just a few days later, roots appeared!  Each of the cuttings survived and now fill two long troughs. My hopes are to some day have a nice greenhouse to grow herbs all winter long.  The Pineapple Sage will be one of the first to find a home in such a place!  In the meantime though, it will have to be happy residing in the hotbed alongside of the Thai Basil, Lemon Balm and Cilantro!  More of this wonderful herb will be rooted and added to the Herb Garden in the coming weeks.

For those adventurous souls who would like to try something a bit different yet delightful, bring a quart of water to boil, remove from heat and add about a half cup of fresh Pineapple Sage leaves.  Let this steep for fifteen minutes and then add the juice of a half of lemon.  Strain and sweeten with honey.  The tisane can be enjoyed warm or iced.  If you ask me, this is one of the most refreshing drinks!