Oh My Oregano

There is nothing like being able to harvest your own herbs from the garden.  Oregano, thyme, and lavender seem to thrive in our yard.

Especially the oregano.

We took generous cuttings of oregano about three weeks ago.  I like to bundle them with a twist tie.

Herbs should be dried in a cool, dark place.  In my house, I've found the best place to dry herbs is in a spare guest bathroom that is rarely used.  I just run a line in shower in hang the bundles with clothespins.

Once the oregano is COMPLETELY dried, I pulled the leaves from the stems, then gave them a quick whirl in a small food processor to break the leaves into smaller pieces.

We like to use half pint mason jars to store the dried herbs from our garden.  Mr. Tallgrass, who does most of the cooking in our house, likes these wide-mouth jars for herbs over the little shaker-style spice bottles.

We filled two half-pint jars with the first harvest, just in time for the second picking!

The tomatoes are looking very promising this year, so there will be lots of marinara sauce later this summer!