Have some leftover oil from making elderflower fritters? Have a recipe that calls for fried sage leaves? Step out your backdoor and you just might find some black sage (Salvia mellifera). This is a really common plant in this area, and I like to use the tender leaves sparingly in cooking. They’re good flash fried with a healthy dose of salt sprinkled on top when done.

Black sage contains anti-inflammatory compounds such as diterpenoids, aethiopinone and ursolic acid. Click here to read more info. The leaves in this photo I sprinkled on top of a beet salad marinated in vinaigrette.