To Dry Herbs Recipe

_Herbs_ too she knew, and well of each could speak

That in her garden sipp'd the silvery dew,

Where no vain flower disclosed a gaudy streak,

But herbs, for use and physic, not a few

Of gray renown, within those borders grew,--

The _tufted basil_, _pun-provoking thyme_,

Fresh _balm_, and _marigold_ of cheerful hue,

The _lowly gill_, that never dares to climb,

And more I fain would sing, disdaining here to rhyme.

SHENSTONE.

It is very important to know when the various seasons commence for

picking sweet and savory herbs for drying. Care should be taken that

they are gathered on a dry day, by which means they will have a better

color when dried. Cleanse them well from dirt and dust, cut off the

roots, separate the bunches into smaller ones, and dry them by the heat

of the stove, or in a Dutch oven before a common fire, in such

quantities at a time, that the process may be speedily finished, _i. e._

"Kill 'em quick," says a great botanist; by this means their flavor will

be best preserved. There can be no doubt of the propriety of drying,

&c., hastily by the aid of artificial heat, rather than by the heat of

the sun. In the application of artificial heat, the only caution

requisite is to avoid burning; and of this a sufficient test is afforded

by the preservation of the color. The best method to preserve the flavor

of aromatic plants is to pick off the leaves as soon as they are dried,

and to pound them, and put them through a hair sieve, and keep them in

well-stopped bottles labelled.