Drying Herbs

 It is getting to the time of the year when I begin drying and preserving my herbs. I am trying  a different   method this year.  It is using the microwave to dry my herbs.  I can do a small batch  . You do have to be careful . I start with washing my herbs and letting them dry.

  Then what I do this is:  Depending on the size of the herb, I start with 5 to 10 seconds on high. You do have to be careful that the leaves do not burn.  If I get a few , then I just toss them out.

  When the leaves look mostly dry then I just set them out and let them air dry some.  I can tell when they are ready to be stored . For this year  so far I am  storing these in marked plastic bags in a large  mason jar.

Herbs- waiting to go outside!

  All winter I have been carefully tending my herb plants that I had from last summer.  Most of them I already had in containers. Some of them I pulled out of the ground and put in pots.

  I some time will investigate which ones I could really leave in the ground . Some of them will winter over I think.

  I am hoping that they will begin to expand and revive . My rosemary looks a little worse for wear with a few yellow spikes , 

 But they have been in the sun and I have  been using some of  them throughout the winter in recipes.  I have a spearmint,  a parsley, a rosemary, thyme, and oregano.