As I was trying to get a lot done in mid-January, and one of the things on my list was drying more herbs.
I picked a lot more thyme and sage and set them out to dry.
The thyme dried very quickly and I was able to separate the leaves and get them in a jar last week. The sage needed more time to dry.
I really need to dry some more oregano, but for some reason the deer have decided to eat a lot of it this season. With the deer still hopping the fence into the backyard, almost nothing is safe. I am grateful that the sage and thyme have managed to escape untouched.
Sincerely, Emily
Advertisements
Wallabies eat mint, sage, thyme but NOT oregano for some reason. They also ate Steve’s topiary peace sign ivy! There is no point trying to second guess what they will and won’t eat because then they change the game plan! Good to see that Australia isn’t the only place that has maniac wildlife hell bent on scarfing your produce! 😉
oh how strange and interesting. What happens with these darn deer is the whole herd walks by and one takes a small test bite and moves on, then the next one takes a small test bite and moves on, but they don’t bother telling the deer that are lined up behind them not to bother with the oregano! Come on! Spread the word, save the oregano!
I just wish the people on our street would quit feeding the deer so they would wander in and around someone elses yard and quit hopping my fence.
The dried thyme blossoms are quite delicious too! Last year my thyme was plentiful, but I cannot seem to get the same amount of oregano….this year i’m going to dedicate a larger space to oregano as well as remember to cut & dry often!
Hi Victoria – thanks for the info on eating dried thyme blossoms. I have planted two more oregano plants and have started some more thyme that I need to get in the ground. I love it when they flower and I love have the fresh herbs along with having the option to dry them too. They are also great fillers in the garden and do well here through the heat of the summer. Sage is another one. I hope you get some more oregano going.
I love drying thyme and using it. Didn’t know I could use the blossoms too as Victoria posted but I thought when it started flowering it was not as good. Will have to remember that. I hate getting the leaves off the stems tho! Nancy
Hi Nancy. I always let my herbs flower (except my basil, I keep that clipped) because the bees and other pollinators are looking for flowers in the spring and need all the help they can get. Once the flowers are spent I trim them back. I have heard that it is best to harvest your thyme when it is flowering. I don’t know… I just harvest it when I need it and it grows all year round here. I also harvest it to keep the plants from getting too spindly and then dry it.