The Romance of the Harvest: How to Dry and Store Your Own Garden Herbs

There is a quiet magic and romance in drying and storing your own garden herbs. Bringing in the Thyme, Oregano, and Rosemary is the simplest way to bottle up the summer.

It is a bittersweet but peaceful time of year when the garden begins to sleep. It's late September. We've had 3 light frosts already and the garden is winding down.  The tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, and basil are done. But the hardy fall vegetables like carrots, beets, and the late-planted radishes are actually tasting sweeter now, I have a crazy huge zucchini that is still producing fruit.

 

 

The leaves are just displaying their colors.

Black Mountain isn't looking black anymore.

What is happening over there Ida Mae? 

 

I hope the sunflower seeds will have time to reach maturity so the birds can enjoy them.    

 

No black striped seeds yet.  

Thyme                    Rosemary                    Oregano

Picked and hung on September 6, 2026.

Dry and ready after two weeks hanging from my cup pegs. 

I just love the fragrance of the herbs when I start handling them.

 

I have two pieces of copy paper ready to catch the leaves and flowers that fall as I rub the bundle of oregano between my hands.

I'm using 4-ounce Ball glass canning jars to store the herbs in.

 

Switching from a two-piece metal canning lid (flat lid and screw band) to a one-piece white plastic lid makes everyday storage and access much easier.

Repeat these simple steps with the remaining herb bundles, and soon you will bottle up your own custom harvest.
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I used a drafting compass set at 2.5" to make a template for cutting three fabric circles.   I pinned the template to 3 layers of fabric and cut them all at once with pinking shears. 

 

These are some of the tools and supplies I used.  I forgot to show the glue in this picture.  It shows up in later pictures. 
I have a ziploc bag full of grandmas buttons.  Digging through them all to try to find three matching buttons is always a wonderful, nostalgic treasure hunt. There is something comforting about the clinking clacking sounds the buttons make while you sift through them. 
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In the end I usually settle for buttons that are similar instead of matching.   

 

I sewed red thread through the buttonholes.  I like the look of it and the glue grabs onto the thread to hold the button very well.

Sewn in an "x" like a hug.

 

Double-sided tape to hold the fabric to the jar lid.  Place the lid upside down in the center of the fabric circle, press the fabric up to the sides to stick to the tape in four directions first, then press up the rest of the fabric.

 

Cut ric-rac, or string, or ribbon 12 inches long.  

I made the tags using three layers of card stock paper.   I wrote the herb names first then cut them out.  Then layered those onto the red, and cut it to form a border.  Then cut the bottom layer a bit longer at one side to leave room to punch a hole. 

 

A bead of glue to start applying the ric-rac. Press it into the glue.

 

Leave the end of the ric-rac angling downward at the front.  Continue with a light amount of glue all around the lid to hold the ric-rac firmly to the lid.  Be sparing so the glue doesn't show.  And when it comes back to the front cross it over and angle it off the opposite way.  

Apply the button to the intersection.  

Trim the ends of the ric-rac. 

 

Punch holes in the tags.  Thread string through.  Tie onto the button.  You can wait till the glue dries to do this.  Or If you're impatient like me, do your best and stick the button back on if it falls off.

 Voilà!  Looks beautiful!  And the decorated cover comes on and off easily, staying pretty every day.   
My kitchen is accented in red.  

But the fabric could be any color at all.

I hope you enjoyed visiting my misty meadow gardens just as the leaves are turning. Putting up dry herbs and getting ready for all the comforting cooking that is coming with the holidays is a lovely way to keep the summer garden giving through the winter. 
                         ~Terry

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