This week (September 17, 2007) the CSA members have fresh oregano. Almost everyone keeps dried oregano on hand; drying your own takes minimal effort. I have dried herbs for many years, e.g. if we have an over-supply for the farm store that was picked but didn’t sell. A few years ago, when we were preparing herbs to sell wholesale to Loblaws, I found herbs which had a bit of insect damage discarded in the compost. I was horrified and stooped over and began picking it out of the compost. Then I washed it and brought it into the kitchen. The staff never made that mistake again. All discards come to me. During the three years that we were selling to Loblaws, I dried lots of herbs and put them into little decorative containers from the dollar store, to give as gifts. I use two methods to dry herbs:

(1) Flat, tray method

Spread the herbs apart, not touching on a paper towel, place tray in dry place, such as the top of the micro-wave. Sometimes I put another paper towel very lightly over to protect from any dust or flies.

If you feel you want to wash the herbs, dry them with a paper towel to absorb as much moisture as possible before you lay them out to dry. Drying on the micro-wave will only take a few days, depending on how warm the kitchen is. However, be sure to tell the other people who live in the house. One of our CSA members followed this advice. One day when she wasn’t home, her partner found the wilted herbs and tossed them in the compost, thinking he was doing her a favour. Check to see if they are dry, by crunching a leaf or two between your fingers, then store in sealed container in a dark place or place in a zip lock bag and put it in a special place in the freezer, reserved for herbs.

(2) The Paper Bag Method

Place the bunch upside down in a large brown paper bag. Gather the bag around the stems and tie. Poke or cut several holes in the bag for ventilation. Make sure there is plenty of room inside the bag so the leaves do not touch. If you have several of these bags, hanging from the walls of the kitchen like I do, you will want to write the name and date on each bag. Hang the bag in a warm, airy room and leave undisturbed for about two weeks or longer. Be sure they are not in direct sunlight.

Storage

When they are dry, check for any signs of mold. Discard any which appear moldy. Strip dried leaves from stems and discard stems, but keep in mind that whole herbs retain their flavour longer than crushed, ground or rubbed herbs.

Store dried herbs away from the light, in small air tight containers or zip lock bags. Keep in cool, dry place. Dried herbs keep for years. Last year, I made a couple dozen zip lock bags of dried mint to give as gifts for mint tea. This spring, I started a recipe for tabouli. Since the fresh mint was not yet ready I planned to leave it out. Then, I remembered the little packages of dried mint stashed inside the pantry, still dressed in their holiday finery. I crushed a few leaves between my fingers and sprinkled into the tabouli recipe. After it marinated a couple of hours, the mint flavour worked out quite well.

One resource suggests that when using dried herbs, add to soups and stews during the last half-hour of cooking. If you have experiences with drying herbs which you would like to share, please pass it along. The advice we share on the farm Website is always a work in progress!