Sage is a part of the mint family’s evergreen shrub. It features round, dusty, green and woody leaves. Due to their slightly smooth or fluffy appearance and the cotton texture, the slight projections of velvety hair on sage leaves may cause it to be unpleasant to eat raw.
Sage has a special taste, which makes the dishes warm and complex. In conjunction with other herbs it works well and complements a range of foods, ranging from beef and beef to lemon and butter. Both the fresh and dried leaves are used in recipes, as are the rubbed and polished varieties.
The Best Substitutes for Sage
Well known for its many advantages to our wellbeing, sage been used in many facets of our lives: food, wellbeing and spirit.
It should be said that nothing can perfectly replace the herb, but it is important to look at some suitable sage alternatives.
We have an excellent sage substitute for you either in a recipe or to be burned to clear negative energy from a new place, or to make tea for the endless benefits of wellness.
Sage Substitutes for Cooking
Marjoram
Marjoram was a sign of love and contentment for the ancient Greeks and Romans. Marjoram has a long tradition of being used in spells of love, and some claim that her future husband will be revealed to her in a dream if a young woman puts marjoram under her pillow while she sleeps. Today, for Italian and Middle Eastern cooking, marjoram is considered important. Because of its mild taste, Marjoram is a very simple herb to cook with. Cooking enthusiasts have also coined the term, ‘use marjoram when in doubt.’
Poultry Seasoning
A mix of spices is poultry seasoning. McCormick’s, which comes in a small red spice container and can be found in the spice aisle of most grocery stores, is the most popular pre-made store-bought brand of poultry seasoning, but there are also many other poultry seasoning brands available. There is thyme, basil, marjoram, rosemary, black pepper, and nutmeg in McCormick ‘s brand poultry seasoning. Celery seed, celery salt and rarely ground cloves can be found in other blends.
Thyme
Thyme is a herb that you probably know from your spice collection, from the mint family. Yet it’s so much more than an ingredient after-thought.
Its variety of use is remarkable, and there are more than 400 subspecies. In their embalming methods, the ancient Egyptians used it, while the ancient Greeks used it as incense.
To this day, thyme has remained a culinary staple due to its distinctive flavor. But thyme, for its therapeutic properties, such as its ability to help cure acne and high blood pressure, is also rapidly gaining a reputation.
Rosemary
Along with many other herbs, such as oregano, thyme, basil, and lavender, rosemary is a member of the mint family Lamiaceae.
In culinary dishes, such as rosemary chicken and lamb, the herb not only tastes good but is also a good source of iron, calcium, and vitamin B-6.
Usually, it is prepared as a whole dried herb or a dried powdered extract, whereas fresh or dried leaves render teas and liquid extracts. For purchase online, a selection of rosemary products is available.
The herb has been hailed for its medicinal properties since ancient times. Traditionally, rosemary has been used to help relieve muscle pain, enhance memory, strengthen the immune and circulatory system, and encourage hair growth.
Savory
People have used savory as a culinary herb for 2,000 years to spice beans, season meat, and add to their meals a thyme-like spice. “The good, peppery taste of Savory also inspired a second meaning-savory also refers to flavorful food, as in” a savory sauce. “Savory is also referred to as the” herb of love: “Ancient Romans thought that this aromatic herb was a natural aphrodisiac and used it to make potions of love. Its reputation was so strong that European monasteries discouraged savory growth for fear that the monks would fall under its spell.
Sage Substitutes for Burning
If you’re looking for sage substitutes for smudging then you’ve come to the right site.
So what is Smudging?
There are various meanings, but basically, “smudging” means a blessing and purification technique involving the combustion of botanicals such as herbs and resins. The material is burned to produce smoke that can cleanse spaces, artifacts and people energetically. The white wise and palo santo are the most common and renowned smudging herbs.
Here are Sage Alternatives for Smudging
Yerba Santa
The herb Yerba Santa, widely used by Central American indigenous peoples, is helpful in purification ceremonies and rituals to achieve vision and remove harmful energies and entities. To warn of diseases as well, it can be charred. Furthermore, when you practice sorcery, it makes an ideal altar offering and to unleash the ancient and wild within you.
Cedar
The Eastern White Cedar is a holy tree with many mystical attributes. In fact, it is not a cedar, but a cypress tree. It is effective for defense and clearing as a smudge, and has a symbolic connection to the fire element and the planet Jupiter, so it makes a useful offering in rituals involving these aspects. This tree, like the Yew, symbolizes everlasting life and makes it an essential addition to the functions of banishment, prosperity, and magical power. Ancient Druids, Norse people, and ancient Greece, where it was associated with Persephone, used this specific symbolism. It also has a beautiful woody scent that leaves the atmosphere of your room similar to nature. It is also possible to use the ash from the burned shavings to consecrate and purify your instruments.
Rosemary
There are various medicinal and spiritual uses for Rosemary. It is synonymous with Aphrodite & Venus, so it is a key ingredient in strong spells of passion (to use on yourself, but not on an unsuspecting stranger!), it can enhance memory during exams or important meetings, and is useful in a number of rituals of sun magic. It is used, like sage, in cleansing rituals and cleansing, leaving behind a lovely fragrance. After a bout of disease, rosemary and juniper burnt together drive staleness from your house. Use it between operations to purify and consecrate athames, wands, crystals, and other resources. Rosemary eliminates fears in a ceremonial bath and will invigorate the soul.
Eucalyptus
Eucalyptus has a fresh and herbaceous scent and has long been used for colds and similar ailments as a natural remedy. It adds a fresh vitality to the environment when burned and is used to clear away guilt and worry and to treat mental fatigue in rituals. It is especially effective at removing unfounded issues that interfere with everyday life and detract from real problems. To cleanse the air, use the oil in the purification water or flick droplets of the oil around your house. Eucalyptus, due to its cleansing vapors, is also beneficial in bath, shower or foot bath rituals. Other uses include security, solitude, negative vibes being discouraged, and rituals of rejuvenation.
Juniper
Another tree called a cedar, but really a cyprus, is the Juniper. It is related to fire functions, pushing out illness / negative entities, and purification in Western esoteric practices. Mars in Aries is its astrological component, and as a fire feature in rituals, it is strongly symbolic. Smudge or burn it so that love, energy and warmth will fill your room. Since Juniper can grow in places that few other trees can, it can also be especially powerful for its use in rituals and spells related to regeneration and hope in dark times.
Can you Use Oregano Instead of Sage
It is better to use fresh sage instead of oregano when using sage as a substitute, since this will allow for the maximum flavor impact.
The dried type, unlike oregano, is not ideal. Note that oregano and sage are both strong enough to withstand long cooking times, so it is perfect for use in dishes involving lengthy braising.
What does Sage Taste Like
As the holiday menus roll out, Sage is one of those herbs you’ll hear a lot about. Usually, it is served with tofurkey stuffings and roasted vegetables with rosemary, marjoram and thyme.
The sage taste is savory. It’s faintly piney, not like a juniper, though. It’s a lot smoother and blended with slight notes of citrus. It’s a bit sour as well, albeit not harshly so.
Sage is the big, strong-willed child of the herbs. It can easily be the star of the show or, without complaint, let other herbs have their moment in the sun.
What Texture does Sage Have
With a soft, downy texture, fresh sage leaves are thicker than basil. They are tender and easily cut, but for pasta and gnocchi dishes they’re also fried to a crispy texture.
Ground sage is fine and very soft. Usually, it is also more bitter than fresh sage, and when seasoning a dish, it is easy to go overboard. It’s best to start with less and add a bit at a time.
Can you Eat Sage Raw
Usually, it is recommended that you cook sage to allow the flavors to blend and grow, but yes, you can eat it raw. In a salad dressing, for instance, you can choose to use either fresh sage leaves or powdered sage.
Whole sage leaves can be very pungent, but with a mix of other fresh herbs, you can slice them thinly and apply the ribbons directly to a salad.
Does Sage Have any Health Benefits
Sage is a herb that is usually found on your rack of spices. Sage is typically dried and used to spice favorite entrees and sides, but it also has medicinal properties that in both Eastern and Western cultures have been used by people for centuries. Scientists have studied in recent years how effective sage or sage extracts are in the prevention or treatment of common medical conditions.
For culinary and medicinal uses, more varieties of sage exist, the most common of which is known as Salvia officinalis. Salvia lavandulaefolia and Salvia plebeia are other edible varietals as well.
Dried Sage vs Raw Sage
Sage is an herb that keeps its scent when dried, therefore it will not have the same luminosity when dried rather than fresh.
When dried, the flavor is more concentrated, so you add less dry grass to the recipe than you do fresh.
Two types of dried sage are available: rubbed and powdered. The sage is rubbed together, until it becomes coarse.
The leaves are rubbed together. Powdered wise is a very fine texture, which does not well maintain the flavor and therefore should be applied promptly.
All versions can be substituted for each other, but measurements would have to vary as the power of one is more than the other.
Calculate that 2 teaspoons of rubbed sage or 1 teaspoon of powdered sage equals about seven leaves of fresh sage.
Bottom Line
If you are in a bind, we hope you have discovered how very special sage is, and that there are alternatives if you cannot get sage.
From cooking alternatives for sage to burning / smudging alternatives for sage
If you do not have something on hand, or you have an allergy, or if you have not tried it, we still hope you can find something you will enjoy.
Let us know if you have any further questions or observations.
