Oregano growing in the kitchen box, a tree shaded garden.
Oregano in winter, in the kitchen box at the foot of THE BELL.
A lot can happen in six weeks. Back in the beginning of March I was writing about herbs in the garden in winter. Now into the middle of May the expression that spring has sprung seems appropriate.
There are signs of spring everywhere, mating geese, nesting hawks, buried bulbs breaking out of the ground, but winter isn’t over yet. Before making a commitment to the inevitable, I still want to talk about herbs in winter. I’ve enjoyed seeing my evergreen herbs in the garden these past few months, and also their special qualities when I use them in the kitchen. I talked about the thyme, chamomile, lavender, parsley already. Oregano is a very companionable herb that stays a bright, happy green all winter long.
Oregano in winter, in the kitchen box at the foot of THE BELL.
After flowering in summer time I usually cut back the long dry stems of oregano. What remains all winter are the evergreen leaves. They don’t send off new shoots again until spring, but their color never fades. Continue reading
I grow a lot of herbs and usually dry them when it’s harvest time. After the leaves of an herb are dry, they can be stored whole or ground up. Grinding them makes it easy to sprinkle the herb into your recipes. When I saw this gadget at the thrift store, I wasn’t sure what it was for, but it looked like it could be useful. As it turns out, it is the perfect gadget for finishing the job with dried herbs. This is one of my top ten kitchen gadgets. Continue reading