The French have been stirring up batches of wilted herbs and moldy flower petals to make air fresheners for 500 years. We're ready to try a more modern take on pot pourri, thanks to blogger Karen Larko. We spotted her quick and easy techniques for drying fragrant herbs and when you're ready to harvest your own herbs, you can visit Umelecky for her step-by-step instructions:
Above: Photograph by Karen Larko.
You can tie bouquets of rosemary, sage, anise, parsley, thyme, and lavender and hang them upside down to dry.
Above: Photograph by Karen Larko.
Rosemary and sage sprigs, snipped from the garden.
Above: To snip, use sharp herb shears such as Tajika Flower Shears made by a Japanese company that has been producing handmade tools for four generations; $57.92 from Analogue Life.
Photograph by Karen Larko.
You can also tie bundles of herbs using a technique similar to making Native American smudge sticks; after they dry, bundles can be tucked into drawers to scent them.
Above: A Triangular String Bobbin comes wound with jute twine; $16.95 from Williams-Sonoma.
Above: Photograph by Karen Larko.
Looking for more ideas for drying herbs? For a countertop herb dryer, see An Herb Dryer for Harvest.