Hello from the mountains of Kentucky. It’s a quiet rainy morning here in Appalachia. I can’t complain…I love quiet rainy mornings when I don’t have to leave home. I enjoy watching daylight breakthrough the fog capped mountains, hearing the roosters crowing from their roost, and listening to the soft tapping of the rain on the roof as it slowly descends from the sky.

A peace settles over me when I can sit quietly on the porch and enjoy the first cup of coffee of the day. The lingering aroma of the coffee and the aroma of basil on my hands from gently waving my hand through the herb garden reminds me of how much pleasure I find in cooking with herbs, drying them, and also sharing their bounty with others. Herbs serve so many purposes from cooking, visual beauty, health benefits, to making delicious teas…and again, sharing them with family, neighbors and friends.

It was a perfect morning to cut clippings from the beautiful and aromatic herbs for the first official harvest of the year. I found that clipping herbs early morning, prior to blooming, and when the air is cool and damp is the best time to harvest.

An hour and a half later I was pleased to hold two large trays of herb clippings from almost all of the herbs. I carefully sorted the herbs so that I could label them and spread them out on trays lined with white paper towel. The kitchen was instantly filled with a beautiful fresh aroma mixed with smells of a variety of basil, rosemary, mints, and more. I love that smell!

Breathing in the fragrance, I transported the herbs to a location away from the direct sunlight to begin the natural drying process, which I prefer to alternative methods. I feel that drying by dehydrators, ovens, or microwaves takes away from the flavor of the herbs. It takes longer to air dry, but in the end, the wait and taste of the herbs are well worth it!

The process of drying varies depending on the temperature inside the house. I typically allow my herbs to dry so that when I want to crumble them I can do so with my hands. I have recently begun placing whole dried basil leaves, rosemary stems, and other whole clippings in clear jars with BPA free lids for storage. It is best to keep stored herbs in a dark pantry to ensure the flavor lasts. I then crumble whole herbs or grind them in the mortar and pestle when I’m ready to add them to what I am cooking. The flavor is amazing!

So, for now, I’m off to relax and enjoy a little quality reading time and a good cup of coffee on this beautiful rainy day. I hope you enjoyed sharing my morning in the Appalachian mountains. Be sure to come back and visit and feel free to follow my blog so not miss new recipes, book reviews, or Appalachian moments. Don’t forget to leave your comments. I love to hear from my readers! For now, God bless from the mountains of Kentucky.