Dry your own herbs.

There is nothing like fresh herbs. If you've ever grown your own herbs, you know that the plants produce more than you can use in your kitchen. Drying herbs is a great way to preserve them for the cold months when you don't have such fresh ones available. I've documented how I dry Basil, but you can use it for other herbs as well.

Here we go!

(Snip... snip, snip, snip... snip... snip, snip...)

(1)  Using kitchen or garden shears, harvest some good sized sprigs from your plant.

(Eeeeeewww...)

(2)  Remove any icky leaves.












(3)  Rinse the leaves and stems you intend to dry also making sure there are no caterpillars or insects.


















(4)  Tie a loop in a ribbon, lay the stems on that loop and then use the free ends of the ribbon to tie all the stems together. The leaves should hang upside down.  Use the loop to hang the herbs on a hook or nail in a cool, dark place for a few days.  You may need to tighten the knot occasionally as the stems shrink due to loss of water.

(After I get the stems secured together, I tie the ends into a bow. Because it's cute.)

(5) When it's crispy, it's ready. You can break off the leaves and store in an airtight jar.






These also make lovely gifts. People like being presented with a bunch of useful herbs that you took the time to plant, nurture, harvest and preserve.