Hello there. My name is Katie. I’m the author of this blog, Clary Sage. You can navigate the site several ways, such as perusing the recipe index or starting at the very beginning.

Photo by Andrea Marie Photography

What is clary sage, you ask? Salvia sclarea, or clary sage, is a perennial herb that has been used for centuries as a curative. Some old herbal remedies recommended placing a clary sage seed in your eye if a foreign object became lodged there; the seed’s sticky coating would help to draw it out. That’s why clary sage is sometimes referred to as “clear-eye.”

Until recently, I didn’t know this tidbit of 17th-century medicinal know-how either. But since moving back West, I’ve been hungry to learn more about home-cooking and gardening. (My husband and I moved to the Bay area in June 2010, and the need to feather our nest struck me like a thunderbolt. Then again when our son was born in August 2012.)

When I’m not attempting to cultivate a cottage garden, I’m often cooking from it. Sharing a good meal with good friends is one of my greatest joys in life. This blog is a place to share, if not the food, the recipes and snapshots. We left behind dear friends on the East Coast, and other friends as well as family members are scattered across the West, so I’m hoping Clary Sage can keep us connected—and perhaps discover new friendships, too.

For myself, it’s also a personal log of the quirks and comforts of returning home to the West Coast. And as a writer, I’d like for this blog to be a practice to keep me sharp and type out what’s on my mind, just like how I run to stretch my legs and clear my head.

One last bit of trivia: Clary is my maiden name, so I confess to having a predisposed fondness for the plant. Incidentally clary sage is sometimes used in aromatherapy for helping with insomnia. As I’m prone to being a night owl, here’s hoping this blog is a cure of sorts—if ironically one that keeps me up late writing. And with that, I’m off to bed.