Drying Homegrown "Oregano"- Really!

One of the greatest challenges of a veggie garden is to harvest and store the maximum amount of produce with minimal loss. Often, the yield is more than you can eat fresh so if you can find a way to store your crop you can enjoy it all year long.

Herbs are a great crop to preserve.  Drying is the easiest, low energy method, although you can freeze some herbs.  We have a prolific oregano plant that is producing more than we can use right now.

I cut the oregano fairly close to the ground; don't worry it will re-grow.

I then bundled up the cut stems, tied a string around them then hung them in the mud room.  It is best to dry herbs in a cool, dry place and out of direct sunlight.

When the oregano dried, I stripped the leaves off and packed them into an airtight container.

Store in your kitchen out of direct sunlight and away from curious cats.

Enjoy your dried "homegrown" oregano in your cooking all year round.

Misha