Herbs

I have grown herbs in the past, but I have always used them fresh and have never attempted to dry them with much determination.  I would go as far as hanging them in pretty little bundles from the beams in my kitchen, only to leave them so long that the dust settled on them, making them unusable.  Well, this year, in my attempt to preserve everything I possibly can from my gardens, I am drying herbs with determination and purpose.  As much as I love those pretty bunches of herbs hanging artfully in my kitchen, this traditional way of drying herbs, which I do love so much, unfortunately, was not working for me.  The bunches always went to waste, so I decided to pull out my food dehydrator, and my first harvest has already resulted in two cups of freshly dried, oh-so-fragrant, oregano.  I'm waiting now for the rest of the oregano to come into blossom (I have read that is the best time to cut for drying because it will be the most favorable); in the meantime, sprigs of parsley, mint, and lemon balm are drying, hopefully ready for jars this afternoon. The lemon balm and mint will be used mostly for a calming, nighttime tea, but I recently came across this fun list of other things to do with lemon balm.  It feels so good to actually be doing something with my herbs this year and not letting them go to waste; in fact, I am already making a list of more herbs that I am going to plant next year, basil, cilantro, dill, more varieties of mint...oh, the possibilities!