Design Happens

You’ve probably spent the past weekends prepping your garden for its long winter nap. As you harvest those fall vegetables, don’t forget to snip any remaining fresh herbs to gather for the upcoming feasts (yes, Thanksgiving is only a month away!).

If you can’t use up all that thyme, rosemary and basil while it’s fresh, consider drying the bounty. Load up a homemade solar herb dryer (made from an old picture frame, wire mesh and suction cups) with your favorites and hang them in a sunny window — talk about a fresh kitchen design idea!

Once they’ve dried, just store the herbs in old spice bottles or Mason jars. Or if you’re extra crafty, why not create your own fragrant kitchen wreath? Then you can enjoy their beauty and have herbs on hand for that evening’s dinner. DIYnetwork.com has some helpful steps for making a decorative herb wreath, and Better Homes & Gardens has a living-herb version.

Herb wreaths are a lovely melding of two of my passions: natural décor and food! But sadly this year, growing herbs didn’t make my to-do list. For folks like me, there’s always pre-made. Organicbouquet.com sells one made with organic rosemary, thyme, bay leaves and dried chili peppers for a pop of color — the green-and-red palette has a bit of a Christmas feel, too:

Vivaterra.com also has an organic version, made with a more varied collection of marjoram, dill, thyme, sage, lavender, anise, cinnamon sticks, yarrow and, again, chili peppers for a little zing:

And Surlatable.com’s take comes with fresh bay, sage, purple oregano, Santa Cruz oregano, lavender and chile de arbol, all pesticide-free and suitable for cooking:

I can just smell them now. Scrumptious!

Have you ever made your own herb wreath? Which herbs would you put in yours? Share your ideas in the comments below.