I’ve just finished recording a podcast for the Alternative Kitchen Garden all about pineapple sage and promised to post some photos of my plants here on the blog, so here they are plus some information about this lovely plant.
Pineapple Sage (Salvia elegans) is one of my favourite herbs (yes, I know, I have quite a few favourites). It is a tender evergreen perennial herb with leaves similar in shape to the more common sage (salvia officinalis) and is part of the mint family and is sometimes known as scarlet pineapple. It is native to the highlands of Mexico and Guatemala.
What’s great about it:
- it has lovely tubular deep pink flowers in the winter and brightens up any room or conservatory in the early to mid winter.
- the leaves have the most delicious pineapple scent when you rub them gently
- the leaves can be used in your cooking - in fruit salads, salads, tea, add to chicken or pork recipes for a pineapple flavour, try chopped in sponge cakes for flavour and scent, add to drinks. Pineapple Sage Pound Cake is my list to try out too.
- they are also very easy to propagate; you just take a 15 to 20 cm cutting from a healthy shoot, remove the lower leaves and push four or five of them around the edge of a pot filled with some free draining soil. Water lightly and leave in a cool, frost free place.
If you have any other uses or recipes for pineapple sage, feel free to add a comment below.
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
love the new look of your blog. came in through blotanical which still links to your typepad site. the last message there has your new address but it is not linked, so I had to copy and paste. Your site is cool so I would say make it easier for folk to show up ;’)
I have seen this sage in catalogs but have not grown it. maybe this year????
Thank you. I’m currently in the process of transferring the typepad site over and updating links; have updated Blotanical now, thanks for the reminder.
Hope you get round to trying out the pineapple sage this year!
i made a rosehip, hibiscus, pineapple sage jelly for valentines day. was made to fill heart shaped cookies. the jelly turned out great.my first jelly made w the inclusion of pineapp sage. would be glad to post if anyone would be interested.
That sounds lovely and refreshing. I’d love to have the recipe. Thank you! Feel free to post it here or a link to it on your blog.