Conference turris::cooks

    That sound exactly like what I do. I don't usually use the flowers,
    mostly because they are more fragil then the leaves and sort of tend to
    fall to dust. I also dry my herb in the microwave and find it works
    wonderfully and they stay so nice and green rather than brown looking.
    
    I will be drying oregano,marjoram,sage,parsley,lemon basil,and chive.
    I make all my basil into pesto so don't usually dry much of that.
    
    Tamzen

    I just put one layer of herbs on a paper towel on a paper plate.
    Zap a minute, let them steam off, zap again, let steam off again.
    I let them sit out on the counter about a minute between zappings
    since they seem to steam up the inside of the microwave otherwise.
    This lets the steam into the kitchen, and they seem to dry faster.
    The paper towel also helps dry out the herbs faster.  I either
    use the wind-up rotater or give the plate a quarter turn each
    time I put it in.  Also, toward the end, I just put them in for
    30 and then 15 seconds.  Don't want to overdo them.
    
    So far I've only done parsley like this.  It stays nice and bright.

    You might want to start out with smaller times than a minute. I tried
    that and my oven must be more powerful cause it really fried them. I
    have a 700 watt oven with a turntable and do about 30 seconds and then
    15-20 second shots, just like Louise. I also take them out between times
    and let the oven dry out.
    

    How about the marjoram flowers ?  Can these be used in vinegars ?  Oh
    wait, maybe I'm thinking of tarragon.
    
    Anyone else out there know what to do with marjoram flowers ?
    
    Diane
    

    
      Aside from the herbs you have harvested from your gardens, is
    it recommended to dry store bought fresh herbs like parsely and
    dill? Dill is one of those herbd that is great on/in things fresh.
    Anyone have a suggestion for preservation of Dill? I end up
    discarding half the bunch because you just can't get it in small
    amounts and I don't need to use that much, and the stuff just doesn't
    keep. unless there's method of storage that I don't know about.
    I currently keep it in a tupperware container...
    
    any suggestions?
    
    Nancy
    
     

    How many times do you repeat the zap/dry cycle? 2-3?

    Until the herbs are dry/crumbly.  It really depends on your oven,
    how moist the herbs are, how humid the day is, etc.  I can't give
    you firm numbers.  Just keep checking.  

    Hi,
    
    I take a different tact to my herbs.  I prefer, especially basil,
    to make oils out of them .  I pick basil and rinse and pat it
    completely dry (whole leaves, no flowers, tiny leaves too).
    I place these in a squeeky clean jar and fill to 3/4 full.  I then
    add olive oil to fill to the top and cork or cap with a new cover
    on a ball jar or a new cork in a bottle (sometimes I reuse wine
    bottles).  This makes really great oils. Store it in a cool dark
    place and let it ripen.  When you get to the bottom in the winter
    it makes great pesto!
    
    Just another idea...
    
    Pam
    

    Another idea to try with the flowers, is to cut two 8" squares from a
    terry cloth towel, and sew three sides together (making a pouch), insert
    whatever dried herbs you have, and sew the fourth edge.  Use this as a
    hot pad, and the heat from the pan or casserole dish you put on it will
    release the scents!! You can make these quite decorative with different
    trim, and they make nice little gifts!
    

How about using your herb flowers in salads?   Lately I've been doing a lot of
salads, and after buying some assorted fresh herb bunches at Idylwilde Farms,
I had lot of leftovers.  So, I put the two together.  My absolute favorite is
cilantro.  If you like the flavor, try a bit of fresh chopped cilantro in a 
green salad.  Basil works well, too, especially if accompanied by some chopped
sun-dried tomatoes.

By the way, a few replies back asked about keeping fresh herbs... I found that 
treating them like cut flowers keeps them the longest.  If possible I buy
bunches with roots, but cut stems keep pretty well.  I came back from my uncle's
with a bunch of very wilted dill one weekend (a long ride in the back of a 
sunny car), put it in water, and the next morning, it looked fresh cut.  Most 
herbs do well in a jar on the windowsill, but some (like CUT basil) prefer to
be in a jar with water, covered with a plastic bag, and stored in the fridge.
Make sure to change the water avery couple of days!

Oh well, enough rambling...

    Hi - I want out to pick some dill last evening and discovered that
    it was chives.  I'm glad I left the marker in the ground.
    
    Can I dry chives as well in the microwave using the method previously
    stated here?
    
    Thanks for the info
    
    Flo

    I don't think chives dry well. Arn't the store bought chives freeze
    dried?
    
    Chives keep in butter very well. Butter will freeze for a very long
    time.
    
    Linda
    

    I dry chives, chopped up, on a sheet left in our gas oven for a few
    days.  Be prepared for the kitchen to reek of chives, though!  I never
    have microwaved them. 
    
    Vinegars are lovely ways to preserve herbs, too, although it's more
    like "producing tasty vinegar" than "preserving the herb".  I have made
    a very pretty rose colored vinegar with purple ruffles basil.  It's
    delicious in salad dressing and in sweet/sour dishes especially the
    cabbage and sausage type skillet dishes.  The color makes this one
    pretty enough to give as a gift.
    
    I've also used herbs in pickles.  Dill is the most familiar one,
    but I've made pickles with all sorts of herbs in place of the dill and
    they are very tasty.  Definitely not something you'd get at the
    supermarket.
    
    Mint makes delicious jelly.  Most canning/preserving cookbooks will
    have a recipe.  It's basically an apple jelly with mint and a drop of
    green food coloring (or red, if it's pepperming).  Hmmm, I wonder
    how orange mint would do?
    
    --Louise

    I would never recommend drying herbs of any kind.  It makes the herb
    stronger and not as appealing.  If you've ever prepared a dish made
    with fresh herbs and then prepared it wiht dried, there is a DEFINITE
    difference.  With some there's a distinctive bitter taste that tends
    to linger on the palate.  Add fresh herbs to butter, to vinegar, and
    anything else that comes to the imagination but I don't recommend
    drying them like I don't recommend garlic presses in alot of cases
    because of the bitter after taste.   If you decide to add the herbs to
    olive oil make sure you don't cover it.  A good bottle of olive is like
    fine wine - it needs to breath.  Once you open the bottle, do not place
    the cover back on.
    
    If you have dried the herbs remember to *heat* activate the flavor by 
    putting a reasonable amount of herbs in the palm of one hand and then
    rub both palms together, into the dish.
    
    /g.

    Remember:
    
    Many herbs grow well indoor, during winter months.  Try freezing the
    herbs in airtight plastic containers or zip lock sacks.  If the herbs
    appear to be a bit limp then soak them in water at room temp and then
    place on a paper towel and blot dry.  Don't leave the herbs in the
    water too long; just for a short period of time.
    
    /g/

    If you find you have large, healthy bunches of herbs, why not dig up a
    section of them in September/October and bring them indoors for the
    winter and have fresh herbs all year long.  Don't forget to mulch the
    plants outdoors heavily, and depending on the region of the country you
    are in, they will be back healthy and strong in the spring.
    
    

    I tried that and had whitefly (which spread to a nearby houseplant)
    and finally, in the spring, a grub hatched in the soil and ate the
    entire root system.
    
    If you bring herbs in, take special precautions.  Wash the entire
    plant free of soil and pests.  Wash the backs of the leaves too.
    Then pot up in sterile potting soil.
    
    Or you could just plant some new seeds in July/August, and keep
    the plants indoors.  Or take cuttings around now.
    
    I prefer to dry my herbs for the winter.  That whitefly infestation
    was something I'd rather not repeat.
    
    --L

    Buying *sterilized* plants are a very good idea, just keep your
    cat away from them.  I bought a number of herb plants (very decorative
    looking I might add) and my cat George ate them, but not the kitty
    greens I had grown specifically for him.  Oh well .... he seemed to
    enjoy them!!!
    
    If you grow them in your garden I do suggest that you clean the plants
    off before you bring them into your house.  Your best bet would be to
    buy them in garden shops that gear to the indoor-type of herb plants.
    
    I still say YECH! to dried herbs if you can have fresh instead!!
    
    /g. 

    reply to .15
    I never heard of oil needing "breathe"... that is the surest way of
    making it rancid! take it from a person who have "grown" good olive
    oil for years and years in Southern Spain, (we know the trade).  
    Good olive oil, when tightly covered and stored, can be kept for
    up to three years without loosing its aroma or altering its acidity.
    Once you open it... be ready to use it soon, AIR does the trick.

    I always freeze my herbs.  I've been doing it for the past three years
    and it works great!  The trick is to let the herbs air dry completely
    after washing.  I usually soak herbs in water to clean.  Then I lay them 
    out to drip-dry in the dish drainer.  Then I roll the bunches up in 
    papertowels (or dish towels) to dry some more.  Remove the leaves from 
    the stalks and allow them to dry again in a single layer on *more* paper 
    towels or on a paper plate.  I know it sounds like a lot of work, but
    it's well worth it!  I have fresh herbs all year round--they still smell 
    great too!
    
    Another important tip - When using frozen herbs *never* ever leave the
    container out on the counter.  Immediately take the amount you need and
    put the rest back into the freezer.  Trust me, once the herbs have
    thawed, they will re-freeze into a block! (They thaw out very quickly.)  
    
    
    Basil -	Wash and dry *completely* (otherwise they will freeze
    		into a solid brick).  Remove leaves from stalk (I usually
    		keep them whole) I've used both zip-lock bags and re-   
    		cycled margarine containers for storage (zip-lock bags seem
    		to take up less space).
    
    Lemon Thyme-Clean and air-dry *completely*.  Remove leaves from stalk and
    Thyme       Freeze in airtight containers.
    Oregano
    Margerum
    Dill
    Chives
    Rosemary
    Terragon
    
    Parsley    -Wash and dry as stated above.  Remove leaves from stalks
    Sage        chop in a food processor. Allow to air-dry and Freeze in 
    		container.
    
    
    

    I also freeze cilantro.  Remove the leaves from the tough stalks, wash
    (if needed), drip dry.  I usually measure out 1/3 cup of the leaves
    (packed) and roll them into a cigar shape inside plastic wrap, and
    stuff  the cigars into a zip lock.  I use them in salsa and an
    incredible peanut/sesame chinese noodle dish.  Have done the same with
    basil with no ill effects.  
    
    Dana