Dried Herbs

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By Jeremiah Tower

Published 2002

  • About
Those bottles of dried herbs standing in hot, bright places above the stove are really only a memory (and a vague and dusty one at that) of the fresh herb. After all, the essential part of the herb is a volatile oil that is delicate and easily dispersed into the air.
Throw out all your old dried herbs when you read this. Buy just what you need for two months and then after that, throw away what is left. Or better, grow your own, even on a windowsill, and when the cold weather comes on, dry them. Or grow enough so that you can dry some of them when they are flowering. The leaves are at their peak of flavor at this time, and the flowers, with their perfume both sweeter and more delicate than the leaves, add a whole new dimension to a mix of dried herbs.