Dried Oregano

A small cluster of fresh oregano.

In the words of my old boss at a greenhouse I used to work at, it was time for my oregano to get a haircut! I've been meaning to do this for weeks as my oregano has slowly been taking over the left corner of my raised bed. 

Normally, I abandon my oregano in favor of all the basil I have growing. Last fall, I had great intentions of harvesting and drying my oregano to replace what I had used. However, before I knew it, a hard freeze hit and killed off most of my plant before I ever got around to it, so I had to give in and buy some store bought dried oregano. I don't have anything against store bought herbs as I've used them for years, but recently, I've discovered just how much better herbs are if I dry them myself. 

Dried oregano

So, yesterday, I harvested, washed, and air dried a huge amount of oregano in preparation to place it in my dehydrator. For Mother's Day 2023, I asked for a dehydrator. Since then, I've pretty much only dried basil in it. After hunting in the instruction manual for the herbs section, I didn't find anything about oregano, so I made my way to the trusty internet. From, what I saw it looked like I should dry the oregano at around 95-125 degrees for 6-18 hours. After running it for about 6 hours at 95 degrees, I discovered that the oregano was no where near being close to dried, so I upped the temperature to 130 degrees and set the timer for 5 hours. This definitely did the trick, and I ended up with a great amount of freshly dried oregano. 

I've tried air drying, oven drying, and using a dehydrator to dry oregano, and I prefer the dehydrator over the other two ways. 

Air drying takes quite a bit of time. You bundle the oregano stems together and hang them somewhere with non-direct sunlight to dry it out. This can take time and takes up space in your home. Plus, you need to be cognizant of dust gathering on your stalks. 

Your oven can be a great, quick way to dry your oregano. However, living in Texas makes me never want to turn my oven on in the summer time! I do my best to avoid it in the hottest months. If you choose to dry it in the oven, set your oven to the lowest temperature you can get it to. Mine goes down to 190 degrees. Once you've washed and dried the oregano, lay out the leaves/ stalks on a baking tray and place in the oven. Check in 15 minute intervals until the leaves feel crisp and easily crumble. Once the leaves have cooled, pull them off of the stalk and crush. 

My Cosori dehydrator works like a charm without heating up my kitchen when I want to dry herbs from my garden. I have a big one with 6 trays, so I can fit a lot of oregano in it at once.  After the leaves felt brittle, and cooled, I pulled the leaves off of the stalk and will store them in a small mason jar. Sometimes, if I have an empty store bought bottle, I'll store the dried herbs in that too. 

Drying Methods: 

Air Dry: Hang in bundles upside down in a non-direct lighted area. Check after two weeks to see if the leaves are dry and brittle. This can take up to six weeks If the leaves are ready, pull them off the stem, crush, and store. 

Oven: Set oven to lowest setting. Lay out oregano on a baking tray. Place in oven and check in 15 minute intervals to see if leaves are dry and brittle. Once leaves are ready,  pull them off the stem, crush, and store. 

Dehydrator: Set temperature 95-125. This depends on how much patience you have. Oregano will dry from 6-18 hours depending on temperature. Once leaves are ready,  pull them off the stem, crush, and store. 

Dried herbs are great additions to your cooking and can also be used as gifts! I've gifted basil and rosemary to co-workers in past years, and everyone has immediately opened the jar and smelled the herbs they received. 

Peach Pie

Pie cooling on the countertop. 

 Growing up, my mom would always make a couple of her famous Reserve Grand Champion peach pies this time of the year. She would and still only uses Red Haven peaches from Michigan as that is what she swears by. Admittedly, it took me far, far too long to appreciate just how delightful her peach pie actually is! My dad was quite upset the day I made this discovery!

I've moved a long way from Michigan and don't have access to fresh Red Havens bought at the farmer's market. Instead, now a-days, I get my peaches from Costco and whip up some fresh peach pie for myself and the rest of my family. I do have to share, and my waistline appreciates this even if my tastebuds do not. 

As a teen, I would help my mother make the pie. I was always placed in charge of peeling and slicing the peaches. My mom hated to do it, and as an adult, I've begun to inherit this from her. As I was peeling and slicing, my mom would whip up the dough for the crust. She made it look so easy! Boy was I surprised at just how sticky and messy it can be when I went to make my very own pie in my brand new apartment. I was sweating and swearing and wondering how my mother made it look like such a walk in the park! With no rolling pin in sight, my boyfriend, now husband, suggested I use a liquor bottle sitting in our makeshift bar. It was the perfect solution and worked like a charm. 

Many years later, I have not necessarily perfected the art of making pie crust but, at least, gotten to the hang of it and swear words are no longer required! Oh. . . and. . . with the help of an estate sale, liquor bottles are not longer required to roll out the crust. I am the proud owner of a rolling pin. 

Peach Pie: 

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Chill Time: 30 minutes

Bake Time: 50-55 minutes

Ingredients

Crust:

-2 cups flour

-1 tsp salt

-2/3 cup of lard

5-7 Tbsp of ice water

Filling:

-4 cups sliced peaches (3-4 whole peaches)

-7/8 cup sugar

-4 Tbsp flour

-1/2 tsp cinnamon

- 2 Tbsp butter

Instructions

Crust

1. Preheat oven to 375. Place ice & water in a bowl and set to the side. 

2. Sift together flour and salt for the crust. 

3. Add in lard. Use a fork to mix in with flour. 

4. Begin adding ice water & using fork to mix together. After the 5th Tbsp, you will want to begin mixing with your hands. Add last 2Tbsp of water slowly as you may not need all of it. 

5. Divide dough into two balls and place in the fridge for 30 minutes. 

Filling

While the crust is chilling, do the following: 

1. Peel and slice peaches. 

2. Mix in next 3 ingredients and stir well. 

3. Set aside

Assembly

1. Lightly dust flour on the cutting board and rolling pin. 

Step 4 in assembly.

2. Roll out bottom dough crust. It does not have to be perfectly round. Mine never is. Do make sure crust drapes over pie pan. 

3. Add filling and distribute evenly. 

4. Thinly slice butter and place around the top of the filling. 

5. Roll out top dough crust & place over filling. 

6. Starting with the bottom crust, roll the crust to seal it. 

7. Use finger to pinch edges together. I'm right handed, so I use my left pointer and thumb to pinch the dough, and insert my right index finger between the left fingers to create the ridges. 

8. Cut slits in the pie dough. 

9. Cover crust edge (tinfoil works great) and bake for 25 minutes. Uncover edges and continue baking for an additional 25-30 minutes or until crust is golden. 

**A few years ago, my mom gave me these silicone crust covers to use on my pies. Before these beauties came into my life, I would use thin strip of tin foil and try to get it from the countertop to the oven without it falling off.