Dried Tarragon

One of the nice things about having a garden is to have a good supply of fresh herbs whenever you want them. However, I often like to dry them for use during the winter months or also for use when I make my own salad dressing.

I like to make a version of dressing that I originally got from "Mastering the Art of French Cooking". Essentially I use 1/2 cup olive oil, 1/4 cup red wine vinegar, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon mustard powder, and then some dried herbs of your choice. This is where my herbs come in. I especially like to use tarragon in my dressing. Unlike other drying instructions I like to wash the cut branches in cold water then remove the leaves that I want to dry from the branch. This eliminates wasting time drying leaves that I do not want anyway. Sometimes when they are dry it is hard to determine which are the best leaves. Once I have picked the leaves off I then put them on a paper towel on a cookie sheet and put it in my gas oven. I do not put the heat on. The pilot light does all of the work. In a couple of days the leaves are ready to chop into smaller pieces ready to be stored and used the next time I make salad dressing.

The other herbs that I like to use in my dressing are parsley, thyme, and basil. All of which are also available in my garden.

On a final note. If you do not have your own herbs and buy fresh ones from the store. It is a good idea to dry your leftovers instead of having them go to waste. Your result will be much more satisfying than anything you would buy off the shelf.