Saturday 10 August 2013

Greek Oregano

Oregano is one of my favourite herbs, and the so-called Greek version is probably the best, because it is very strongly flavoured. We use a lot of it in cooking, in both fresh and dried forms.

Mozzarella cheese marinating in olive oil and fresh Oregano

This year the weather conditions have really suited the Oregano. The sunshine and baking-hot temperatures during July must have reminded it of its Mediterranean ancestry!


The bees absolutely love it:

A couple of days ago I went out and harvested an armful of Oregano stems, which I judged to be at just about the perfect stage - laden down with flowers that had not yet begun to wither. I should have photographed it at that point, because it was genuinely an armful, but now that it is nearly dry it looks a lot less!


At present the Oregano is outside drying in the sun, but prior to that I washed it thoroughly and laid it out to dry indoors on an old bath towel. It is important to get the herb completely dry before storing it, otherwise it will go mouldy, so even when I think it is 100% dry I will probably give it a day or two in the airing-cupboard just to be absolutely sure!


6 comments:

  1. Love the photos and I currently have eggplant lasagna in the oven. Added oregano to the sauce. Eggplants are from the garden.
    Lisa

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  2. I like it too! Especially fresh in salads with lots of tomatoes. I also usually dry a lot for winter. I have 3 varieties, the Greek one, the common one (origanum vulgare) and a golden oregano. I think that the Greek one is the strongest, too! It's a great herb!

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  3. I'm with you Mark - love it. But I never dry it, just use it fresh. It may be becasue we have a milder climate than you? Does yours stop growing over winter?

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  4. I grow the Greek variety too. It is quite delicious.

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  5. In which part of Greece available this kind of Oregano? It's really awesome flavor.

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    Replies
    1. I don't know. I bought the seeds here in the UK from a company called Iden Croft Herbs.

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