How to Dry and Save Oregano Leaves After a Frost or Cold Weather

Fresh oregano grown in your own garden adds more flavor to home-cooked food than spices from a jar. Yet once the weather turns cold, it takes extra attention and effort to preserve your homegrown oregano for later use. Oregano will not survive a hard frost, so watch the weather and do your best to harvest the herb before the temperature dips. If a frost occurs before you can do so, harvest the oregano as soon as possible afterward to preserve the flavor of the oregano.

Scissors
Butcher paper
Twist ties
String (optional)
Air-tight containers

Instructions

- 1
  Harvest oregano by clipping the stems 2 to 3 inches below the lowest leaves. Gather the oregano into bundles of about four to six sprigs. Tear off any leaves that are dead or blackened because of frost damage.
- 2
  Wrap a piece of butcher paper loosely around each bundle as if wrapping a small bouquet. Twist the paper around the end of the oregano stems, being careful not to bruise the leaves.
- 3
  Wrap a twist tie tightly around the stems and paper of each bundle to secure it. Form one end of the twist tie into a hook or tie a piece of string around the bundle in order to hang it up.
- 4
  Hang the bundles upside down (stems pointing up) in a cool, dry indoor area until the leaves are completely dried out. This may take up to a week depending on your climate and where you hang them.
- 5
  Break the leaves off the stems and store the leaves in an airtight container. Check the container for condensation after a day or two. If any has formed, wipe out the container and lay the oregano leaves out to dry in the open for another day or two, laying a sheet of butcher paper loosely over them for protection before returning them to the airtight container. Check for condensation after another day or two and repeat as necessary.

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