I have planted sage for the first time. What do you suggest for harvest and for winter? I looked on line lots of conflicting information.

Sage is a pretty reliable perennial herb here in Kentuckiana, so you really don't need to worry too much about winter protection. If you want, you can cover the plant with a light weight straw mulch for the winter.

Sage dries well too. The easiest way to do this is by using your microwave. Put herb leaves in a single layer between two paper towels. Because microwave ovens differ in their performance and power, you’ll need to experiment a little to find what works best for you.

Start on low power for just 20 seconds and repeat until they are just brittle, don’t over dry them. Keep the leaves as intact as possible, larger pieces retain flavor better. Crumble them into smaller pieces just before you use them.

Another method for preserving herbs is to fill a blender with the sage or a mixture of herbs. Then add just enough water to emulsify them. Then put the mixture into ice cube trays to freeze in small quantities. After the herbs freeze into cubes, they can be stored in a zip lock freezer bag and used as needed. Or combine 2 cups of herbs with ½ cup of canola oil in the blender and freeze in ice cube trays. This will give a fresh herb flavor to soups or stews or sauces in the winter months.

Fresh herbs and herbs preserved at home add intense flavor to dishes. Even if you are not growing your own herbs, you can still use these methods with herbs purchased at the store or your local farmers market.

Do I need to cut the branches or just pull off lesves? Thank you for keeping up with this forum! I know you have a very very busy schedule. Do you ever have time just to relax?

The best time to harvest is when they are actively growing in the summer months. At that time, you can cut the branches back, but during this time of year, you don't want to get back the stems because new grwoth won't have time to "harden-off" before winter. If you want to try to save some now, just remove a few leaves...
what's "relax"?