Today is oregano drying day at the Walliser house. Every May I head out to the garden to harvest fresh oregano sprigs. The timing is crucial because if I cut them too early, the flavor isn’t quite up to snuff, but if I cut them too late, four-lined plant bug damage has marred the beautiful foliage and the flower buds have already developed. Early to mid-May seems to be the perfect time for drying oregano.
Here’s how I go about drying oregano.
First, I head out to the garden with a sharp pair of herb scissors. I gather a large handful of tender, green shoots with my left hand and cut them with my right, making sure the cut ends of the stems all line up. I give the handful of oregano a few quick, brisk shakes to dislodge any insects and debris, then I wrap the base of the stems with a rubber band. I continue this process until I have six or seven bunches. We go through a lot of oregano in the winter, and I never like to run out of homegrown herbs!
Once the bunches are inside, I unfold one paperclip for each bunch and use the paperclip’s “S” as a hook, sliding one end under the rubber band and using the other end to hook the bunch of oregano to its drying location. I extend a piece of jute twine from one side of my kitchen window to the other, fastening it securely to a tea cup hook I installed on each end of the window frame. Then I hang the bunches up on the twine, placing them a good five or six inches apart to allow for good air circulation.
The same drying line also serves to dry thyme, basil, parsley, and other herbs later in the season. If I’m only drying a few bunches of herbs, I’ll hang them directly on the tea cup hooks, rather than installing the jute twine.
My drying oregano is ready in four to six weeks; sometimes sooner if the weather isn’t overly humid. Once they’re fully dried, I cut off the rubber band, separate the dried sprigs, and crush the leaves. I store my crushed oregano in a Mason jar in a dark cupboard.
Are you drying oregano or other herbs this year?
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Thanks for the tip on the oregano. A friend gave me a great tip for parsley. All you need to do is cut off the leaves (I use the flat leaf parsley) place it in a food processor to chop it into quarter inch size pieces and put it in a plastic container and directly into the freezer. It’s ready to go into any dish – hot or cold.
I’ll have to try your parsley tip, Maddy. Thanks for the great idea!
Can oregano only be cut once a year or does it keep growing? If it flowers can it still be harvested? Thanks for the blog!
Oregano can be harvested several times throughout the spring, but flowering will cause the flavor to be slightly altered. For that reason, I don’t recommend harvesting after the plant comes into flower.
In Greece, where Oregano is the most used herb, and incidentally grows wild, it is harvested for the flowers.
This is great to know, as I too get an onslaught of four lined plant bugs, so I just harvested my oregano before they attack it! Looks like you don’t wash your herbs that you dry, is that right? Thanks again.
Nope. I don’t wash them. If I do, they get moldy. My herbs are all grown organically so I just shake the harvest bunches to dislodge anything and get to tying and drying.
I love your idea of an elastic and paper clip. Just used it and have oregano hanging in my kitchen now. Thank you.
Hope it works for you!
Thank you for the tips on drying oregano and other herbs. I just harvested Greek oregano, thyme, basil and dill. I will use the rubber band and paper clip to hang and dry.😊
I live in Singapore where the humidity is quite high. Would the same method of drying work? I read another post where someone recommended to put the bunches in a perforated paper back in a dark space. Your opinion please. Thanks
In super humid climates, I suggest drying herbs in your oven. Set it to a very low temperature (200 degrees F), spread the herbs on a baking sheet, and put them in the oven until they are fully dry. It might take only an hour or two, or perhaps a little longer depending on how turgid they are when you harvest them.
Do you only crush the leaves when dried or also the stems?
Hi Kristin –
I remove the stems and only crush the leaves. The stems are woody and not as flavorful as the leaves.
Thanks for the reminder and tips. I am going to check my patch that is among the daffodils next clear morning and start collecting.