Looking to cook something new? Give our Spice of the Month Club a try with a free sample of the spice, recipes for a main course and smaller dish or dessert to fit your needs or diet, and learn a little about the spice.

Spice of the Month kits can be picked up the first through the seventh of the month during the Library's open hours at our Morgan Memorial and North Suffolk locations. Kits available on a first come, first served basis. No registration required.

November: Sage

Sage is an herb from the mint family that has a sweet, yet savory flavor. Botanically known as Salvia officinalis, it is native to the Mediterranean region. Sage's botanical name comes from the Latin word "salvere," meaning "to be saved." Once prized for its medicinal value, the most popular use of sage these days is in the stuffing for a holiday turkey.

Sage has a very long and rich history due to both its medicinal and culinary uses. At one time, the French produced bountiful crops of sage which they used as a tea. The Chinese became enamored with French sage tea, trading four pounds of Chinese tea for every one pound of sage tea. In 812 AD, sage was one of the plants deemed so important that Charlemagne ordered it planted on German Imperial farms, no doubt due to the lucrative trade business as well as for its medicinal popularity.
Source: Sage History, Uses, and Recipes
 

September: Lemongrass

October: Filé powder

December: Mystery Spice