The Mint Needle

Hello friends!  Every late spring, for weeks on end, I'm busy outdoors picking herbs, flowers, and different types of grasses to dry for teas, tinctures, and rubs. Why pick in the spring, when I have all summer? Because I like to get to all the goods before the bugs do!  And I feel the grasses are more potent at that time, instead of picking during the hot summer weather when most plants begin to wilt and weaken. So, I wanted to share with all of you, my tested ways of drying herbs! But first things first! To wash or not to wash?  Yes, you read that correctly! Believe it or not, not all herbs and flowers need to be washed prior to drying. My rule of thumb - if it's in an open field, high of the ground, (yarrow, St. John's Wort, Elderflower), you don't need to wash it. Plants like Chamomile are very sensitive to being washed in anything but the rain. So, if you're going to plant Chamomile for tea, make sure it's in an animal free area, high off the groun