Oregano is a healer as well as a spice!
Oregano is another one of those spices that automatically calls to mind spaghetti. The culinary attributes of this plant is incredible alone, but the impressive healing properties that it offers as well. Allow me to present this vibrantly green and peppery, spicy herb – oregano.
Originally hailing from the Mediterranean, oregano comes from the Greek words oros – “Mountain” and ganos – “Joy” roughly translating into “Joy of the Mountains.”
Many cultures have embraced the spicy herb to supply help with everything from love spells, to cures for coughing, toothaches, indigestion, upset stomach, fevers, and vomiting
HOW TO PLANT OREGANO
Like basil, this is an easy plant to start either from seeds or from cuttings. The main thing to keep in mind is to plant after the last spring frost. The soil used should be well draining and ideally kept or maintained around 70 degrees. The nice thing about oregano is like basil, it likes to live in the sunlight and needs little water once it has started, whether in the ground or a raised bed. This is a well growing plant and thrives readily, so to achieve a big oregano crop, consider planting them at least 10 to 18 inches apart.
HOW TO HARVEST
Once the plants are nice and bushy with leaves, it is time to bring in the crop. Something to keep in mind when harvesting, is to wait until the dew of the morning has completely dried. It is when oregano is freshly dried in the morning that its pungent essential oils are particularly potent. When trimming the plant, cut anywhere down the stem – right above a set of leaves. This will encourage more growth that will result in lots of future trimmings. Trimming the plant down can actually encourage it to grow even more!
HOW TO DRY
Drying this herb is really quite easy and there are options here as well. Pluck off the individual leaves to dry or the entire stem may be used. The old fashioned way involves gathering stems together and tying them off at one end to hang and dry – preferably in a paper bag that is perforated, letting the bag collect the fallen leaves as they drop. Or use a food dehydrator and place the plant stems upon trays that are stacked on top of each other. When the leaves and stems are crisp, remove the leaves. Make sure to store leaves in a dry, dark place and it will last up til six months.
HOW TO MAKE OREGANO TEA
Homemade Oregano Tea
Recipe
WHAT ARE THE HEALTH BENEFITS OF OREGANO?
In conclusion this is a versatile herb used for creating amazing, tasty dishes, but has a wealth of health benefits, not the least of which is the perk of building up the immune system. Additional health benefits can be found here.
Miss the start of our “10 Weeks of Herbs” series?
All of these amazing herbs also come in essential oil form!
Buy Basil Essential Oil here
Buy Fennel Essential Oil here
Buy Oregano Essential Oil here
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