Harvesting & Drying Herbs and Aromatics

Large dill "heads" are essential for making dill pickles but we dry a few for seasoning throughout the cold months. Dill seeds are sometimes preferable in soups, sauces for fish, coleslaw and when cooking dried beans. Some of the seeds will be collected, stored in the freezer in zip-lock bags and planted in the garden next Spring, ensuring another productive growing season.

Fresh dug garlic needs to dry or "cure for a few weeks before being ready to enjoy.

Mint retains most of its flavor when dried, making it an ideal herb to harvest and preserve in large quantities. These stalks will be stripped of the leaves which we'll then store in airtight containers, providing Cafe Drake HRV with our legendary mint tea this winter. Several guests have inquired as to what brand we use, so intense is the mint flavor of our herbal tea, and the secret is as simple as growing and drying your own.

Dried dill fronds.