Preserving sage leaves.

A friend gave me two baggies full of beautiful sage leaves. What would be the best way to preserve them? i would love to be able to freeze them but would hate it if they turned in to black goo when thawed! Thanks for any tips.

I usually dry my extras by hanging upside down to dry or place in a sieve (if loose leaves) in a dark cabinet to dry, then put in an airtight container. Some I pack into a jar with olive oil and set in the fridge. I haven't tried freezing them, although I'd probably put them in oil before freezing.

http://www.italianfoodforever.com/iff/articles.asp?id=24

This site recommends freezing them in ice cube trays with water.
http://wihort.uwex.edu/fruitveggies/Sage.htm

You may want to experiment with a few techniques to see which you like best.

Thank you for the advice and tips!

If you have any pumpkins or other orange fleshed winter squash around, I suggest browning some of those fresh sage leaves in butter and pouring both over the cooked squash.

Cook until the butter turns brown or until the sage leaves do?

Sage & butternut squash sound lovely together!

Both actually. You'll have to keep an eye on the butter because it goes from a delicious browned butter to a nasty burnt butter very quickly. It is easier to use clarified butter (ghee) the fist time you try it.

Here are some recipes/variations on a theme. If you google on browned sage butter, you'll find many more.

We order a dish like this Butternut Squash Ravioli with Sage Brown Butter at a local restaurant. Directions for the browned sage butter at the bottom. Here the dish is garnished with crumbled amaretti rather than chocolate.
http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,1977,FOOD_9936_24669,00.html

http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,1977,FOOD_9936_17864,00.html

Brown Butter-Sage Sauce with potato gnocci

http://www.accidentalhedonist.com/index.php/2006/07/28/sweet_potato_gnocchi_with_brown_butter_s
http://www.italiancookingandliving.com/recipes/archive/168-Brown-Butter-Sage-Sauce,cs=,cc=1,ps=,pt=nc,.html

Thanks -- and thanks for the links! I figured that by the time the sage was brown the butter would be also, but I wasn't sure.... using clarified butter is a good tip, too!