The ripe scent of pineapple can stimulate memories that will take you to a tropical beach where the calm breeze caresses your skin and turquoise waves with white trim roll along the edges of the pale sand.

You’ll be glad to know that you can awaken those same senses and tempt your taste buds with pineapple sage, an edible plant that reflects the citrus flavor of fresh fruit. For the past two years, this herb has decorated the corner of my deck, delighting hummingbirds with its scarlet flower petals. I was pleasantly surprised when I found new growth sprouting from half the dead stalks from winter last spring and it has grown to a three foot beauty.

Pineapple sage, native to Mexico, has a sweet fruity aroma compared to the more humid aroma of its cousin, sage, which I also use regularly. It has soft, hairy, lime-green leaves, slightly serrated and supported by reddish stems. It blooms from late summer to fall and attracts bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds.

Pineapple sage is a large, bushy, beautiful plant that requires more water than other herbs, so give it plenty of room.

You’ll enjoy the versatility of pineapple sage in sweet and savory dishes for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and desserts. Dress breads, jelly, honey, chicken, pork, ham, melon and serve as a substitute for filling in place of normal sage. I also mixed it into cocktails, used the elongated leaves as a colorful garnish, and used the bright greenery as an ambient background for food photos.

I found that pineapple sage is best used fresh, as every time I dry the leaves, they lose the pungent smell of pineapple. It pairs wonderfully with other citrus herbs like lemon verbena (another one of my favorites) and scented geraniums like lime and lemon.

7 ways to use pineapple and sage in your kitchen

1. Crush the sugar and pineapple leaves. Puree fresh pineapple and add to glass. Pour into a champagne flute or glass of your choice and top with Prosecco, like this one – Gelisi Antonio 2009 – Mild citrus water aromas with a crisp, light to medium dry body and a tart finish of lemon and carambola.

2. Chop the leaves in flour to coat the pork or chicken before frying or baking.

3. Add fresh chunks to a glass of Pinot Grigio.

4. Cover the outside of your next baked ham with the leaves along with fresh pineapple for a double citrus impact.

5. Place pineapple sage leaves in the bottom of a cake pan, pour in the batter and bake or finely chop the leaves into the cake batter (great in a sponge cake)

6. Make a simple syrup for cocktails by boiling 1 cup of water and 1 cup of sugar until the sugar dissolves. Then remove from heat and add fresh pineapple sage leaves to soak. Add 1 tbsp. of Amaretto and is a delicious syrup for pancakes and waffles! Let cool and store up to a month in the refrigerator.

7. Great addition to a chicken and pork marinade like this:

Spicy Boston Pork Roast with Fruit and Herbs

1 – 4 lbs. Boston Pork Butt Roast

1 tablespoon. cilantro

1 tablespoon. cumin

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/8 cup brown sugar (light or dark)

1 medium onion cut into thick slices

zest and juice of 1 lime

1/2 cup apple juice

1 raspberry wheat beer

2 cups pineapple and sage leaves (rub the leaves to activate the oils and aromas)

Addresses

Drizzle the bottom and sides of a Dutch oven or deep roasting pan with a lid. Rinse roast and place in skillet.

Rub the dry ingredients on all sides of the meat. Add the onion. Then for liquids. Put sage around and on top of the pork. Place the top in the skillet and bake for about 2 to 2 1/2 hours or until a meat thermometer inserted into the largest part of the roast reaches 160 to 180 degrees. Ovens vary and mine tends to cook things faster than others so judge accordingly.

The meat should be tender and capable of being flaked with a fork.

Here are some wine pairing ideas for this dish:

Riesling – semi-sweet with peach and citrus notes such as Dr. Thanisch Riesling Classic 2009 or Lucien Albrecht Reserve 2010

Gewürztraminer (guh-VURTS-trah-mee-ner): A dry aromatic wine with a nose of mandarin, white peach and a lychee flavor.