herbs

I'm trying my hand at drying more herbs.

I cut from the garden and hung up in small bundles some Thyme, a few leaves of Sage, Parsley, wild Fennel (not sure if that's going to be any good) and Basil.

Incidentally, I already had some Thyme dried but when I removed the leaves for storage the other day noticed they were all dirty. From soil that splashed up under the foliage in rain and didn't come off when I rinsed. So this time I made sure the Thyme plants had thick grass-clipping mulch under them, and waited for a sunny day after heavy rain. I've got way too much of it cut, but will inspect all the stems after they're dry and only keep the cleanest ones.

I cut quite a bit off my bonsai-tree Thyme that lives indoors, too. It's really pathetic looking now. I think it would fare better outside in more sun; the outdoor thymes are so much more lush and thick with growth.

Oh, and I've got one Garlic head.

The three volunteer plants from the garden? They actually all gave very nice cloves; the two smaller ones are already peeled and separated in the fridge for cooking use. This one head hangs lonely next to the herbs. I'll have to start garlics all over again, after three years of not having to buy any! Granted, they're cheap but the homegrown ones are so much more pungent and strong.