This past spring, we decided to take a crack at the whole gardening thing.We built two garden beds (more on those another time) and planted a variety of herbs and vegetables we enjoy. Being this was our first time caring for a garden, we have a lot of key learnings to apply to our next spring beds. We neglected to think about overcrowding and had to move plants around, we over watered and under watered, we put plants in partial shade when it needed direct sun - you name it, we did it!
However, we were successful in one area - herbs. We bought and planted the herbs we thought we would use the most including sage, basil and oregano. They were all fairly low maintenance, often regenerated and are super delicious!
When the first week of consistent cold weather came I knew I had to start storing my herbs before they died from the low temperatures. Here are five steps to make your own dried oregano.
1. Get Your Materials Ready
All you will need is a pair of gardening sheers, twine or string and the oregano. Simple enough, right?
2. Cut the Stems
Make sure when cutting the plant to cut closer to the bottom. You can do this throughout the summer and your plant will often regenerate. Once the stems are cut, place them in water until you are ready to tie and hang.
3. Hanging the Oregano
Bunch the oregano together and tie the twine around the base of the bunch. Find a dry location to hang the bunch and leave it there until dry. This bunch took just about two weeks.
4. Removing the Leaves
Once the leaves are dry they will be easy to remove. Hold the stem from the top with one hand, pinch the top of the stem and run your fingers all the way down. All of the leaves should flake off. If not the bunch needs more time to dry.
5. Grind the Leaves
The last step is to grind the leaves to a powder. Take the leaves and put them in a food processor (I simply used the Magic Bullet and it worked perfectly). Once at the desired consistency, put in a pretty little jar and use as needed.
