Dehydrating Oregano

It's that time of year once again to harvest the first cuttings of Oregano.  Oregano is a very hardy plant and can spread quickly, giving you ample amounts to dry at home to save money and to enjoy the bounty of your herb garden throughout the cold winter months.  

Oregano is the well-known "pizza herb" which is widely used in Italian dishes as well as Mexican meals.  It can also be used to season a variety of foods including:  meats, milk products, condiments and relishes.  I particularly like a little of it's flavor in avocado salsa.  

Below is a step-by-step tutorial showing the process of dehydrating this wonderful herb in a food dehydrator, right on your kitchen counter.

Step 1:  Harvest oregano by making clippings of 4 to 6 inches long, leaving approximately 3 to 4 inches left on the plant so that it can continue to grow and give you more harvests later in the season.

Step 2:  Gently rinse the oregano and shake off excess water.  Place the stems onto the dehydrator racks, being careful to leave space between the stems in order for air to flow freely.

Step 3:  Stack the drying racks, making sure all leaves and stems are on the rack itself so that the lids can be placed on securely.  

 Step 4:  Place the top on the dehydrator, plug it in and turn the dial to 95° F to 115° F.  Temperatures as high as 125° F may be needed in more humid climates.  Drying time varies depending on temperature and humidity and can take anywhere from 1 to 4 hours.  Check periodically.  Herbs are dry when they crumble and the stems break when bent.  Check your dehydrator instruction booklet for specific details.  Mine says to preheat the dehydrator but I do not do that.  Seems hard to preheat to me when you have to take it all apart in order to put the herbs on the racks.  I don't know....maybe I'm missing something in the details.  ;-)  I do not claim to be the Queen of the Dehydrator or, really, anything close to an expert.

Again, oregano is completely dry when the leaves crumble and the stems break when bent.

Step 5:  Pull dried leaves from the stems and place into jars.  Discard stems!  To use, crumble them at the time of use or crush them ahead of time.

Store in a cool, dark cupboard away from direct sunlight or heat for 1 to 3 years.  Keep lid tightly closed when not in use.

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