Pineapple Sage

I found a pineapple sage plant earlier this spring at a local nursery and had to have it, the smell of pineapple coming from a green plant intrigued me. Since we were in the process of moving from an apartment to a house, I left my plant in a pot for easier transporting and it's still there, but I think it's too big now for its pot... I trimmed it back a few days ago and made an extract with some of the leaves...

I chopped up enough leaves to loosely fill a half-pint canning jar, then finished filling the jar with vodka... it's an experiment... and I can't wait to see how pineapple-y the finished extract will become! But with extracts patience is the thing... you have to wait... so I wait...

With the rest of my "trimmings" I popped them into the dehydrator to dry them... my plan is to have dried pineapple sage to add to fish and pork dishes maybe... or to make into a tea.

The Herb Companion says that pineapple sage (botanically known as salvia elegans) will overwinter in Zone 8 (that's where I am!!!) so I'm hoping to get my plant into the ground this fall or next spring. The "Companion" also says this aromatic plant can get up to five feet tall and is actually a shrub. It's also supposed to bloom, with lovely red blossoms that are a favorite of hummingbirds, and are edible. I actually found a recipe using the leaves and the blooms in a Pineapple Sage Pound Cake. Mine has yet to bloom so we'll see about that.

Pineapple sage is said to contain ingredients (thujones, camphor and tannic acids, as well as flavones, phenolic acids, glycosides, and compounds such as salvigenin, rosmanol and the anti-inflammatory agent beta-sitosterol) that help lift the mood and improve the memory, aid in reducing some menopausal symptoms, as well as helping with digestion and heartburn.

I know it smells divinely like pineapples and that's good enough for me! Pineapple sage tea anyone?