September 18th, 2007 - Drying herbs
Doing something new–drying herbs! Actually, I did dry some last summer, but in the dehydrator. This time, I’m doing it without electricity.
1. A lavendar wand. I cut a 9 stems (about half the plant), tied them together half way up the stem, then folded the stems down over the heads and tied them again. (I was going to give a link for an idea what these look like, but I didn’t do it the way I find everyone else is doing it so never mind. The websites all strip off most of the leaves and then use lots of ribbon. Mine is much wilder looking!) I plan to bring it to the Solstice celebration for the raffle (folks are encouraged to bring things for the raffle). It smells lovely and is the reason I planted lavender. It was an idea from Sunflower Houses. I hung it up by the ribbon in the guest room. There are some hangars left above the window from old window shades–perfect for hanging ribbons! I wish I could save some more lavender and make a sachet or two, but that will have to wait for next year. (Had I seen the online pictures of the wands, maybe I would have taken off some of the leaves for a sachet. Oh well.)
2. Mint. These, I chopped all the way off. I called Mom and Dad first to make sure it was okay. (Mom advised cutting only about half the lavender since it’s the first year.) I have a pepperming and a chocolate peppermint plant, both gifts from Ruth. She bought the chocolate mint at the Paine garden sale and gave me a very small piece of it. I am surprised at how well it grew! Throughout the summer, I could definitely smell the chocolate, but upon tasting an actual leaf, I was disappointed at how little it tasted of chocolate. It was Maggie’s idea to taste it–she asked for a piece as I was moving them from washing/drying to the bags. I gave her one, then decided to try one myself. (Surprisingly, she liked it! But then, she’s liked almost everything we give her while cooking.) I put the mints in large brown paper bags, taped them closed, and tied a ribbon through a hole in a corner. These went up in the guest room as well. Not the warmest place in the house in the summer time, but the only logical place to hang them. The back entry would be a great place–except it gets really cold. Maybe I’ll try some there next fall just to test it out. There’s some pegboard on two walls, so all I’d need are a couple hangers.
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