The best part of creating herb bouquets is that they smell good while you are assembling
them. Fresh herb bouquets can be used as centerpieces. You can later hang them upside
down to dry. Fresh or dried, the bouquets make excellent gifts. Dried herbs taste very different from fresh herbs because, as the herbs dry, the essential oils and flavors intensify,
making dried herbs a good choice for slow-cooked recipes, such as sauce or stews. Both
fresh and dried herbs can be used to brew herbal teas and infusions. [MAKES 8 BOUQUETS]
3 bunches rosemary
3 bunches sage
3 bunches lemon verbena
1 bunch lavender
Eight 12-inch lengths of
kitchen string or ribbon
1. Spread out the herb branches on a work surface. Arrange the
herbs to create eight bouquets of the same size, mixing the different
types of herbs. Trim the stems so they are even and then tie each
bouquet tightly with string or ribbon. To keep the bouquets fresh,
place them in jars or vases filled with water.
2. To dry the bouquets, hang them upside down. They will dry in
about 1 week. When the herbs are dry, you can remove the leaves
from the stems and store them in an airtight container for up to
6 months.