Drying Oregano

Skill Level: Beginner

Fresh, bundled oregano ready to be dried.

Skills Attained: Drying Herbs

Supplies:

• Fresh Oregano
• Twine or String

Last year, I planted a small oregano plant that I bought from a gardening store for $3, and this plant has certainly paid off! I had never delved into the world of herbs, but it appears to be an easy thing to grow (or from my gardening glass-half-empty perspective, a difficult thing to kill). 

Oregano Plant

The oregano plant doesn't appear to need a lot of care. I simply planted it the ground and watered it when I watered the rest of my vegetable garden. When the sprigs grow in the late spring/early summer, I snip them at the base of the plant before they start flowering. The more you cut, the more oregano produced. This leaves me with a lot more fresh oregano than I know what to do with, so I decided to adventure into the world of drying herbs. 

Dried oregano on the stem.

After cutting the oregano, I bundle the herb using twine or string [see picture in upper right], and I hang the bundles upside down from a string in a cool, dry place (this happens to be in my kitchen underneath my cabinets). After about one week, the oregano has sufficiently dried, and you can pull the dried leaves off the stem. 

Dried Oregano

Place the dried oregano in a sealed container and use within three to six months.

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