Harvest in the summer or fall, when the white-leaved rosettes are at their prime. Unless you expect that the plant will die do not pick all the leaves, or you will divest the white sage plant of its resources to make it through the winter. Allow the leafy stalks to wilt by setting them out on a table or on drying screens for a day or two. Once the leaves are leathery, supple and limp, then it is safe to place several stalks together and tie them up with cotton string in the traditional form of a smudge stick. Tie the base of the stalks with a knot, and wrap the string fairly tightly around the bundle. Then, hang indoors to dry the rest of the way. If you fail to wilt the leaves before bundling, you risk blackening the bundle by locking too much moisture inside from the start. The bundle will last for a year or two. This web site has other useful information about white sage.
