(Franfogel) asks:

>I have an abundance of fresh basil and thyme in my garden and want to
>preserve
>them for the winter. Would it be better to dry them (and if so, what is the

Conventional wisdom is to freeze the basil, dry the thyme. Depending on what
you plan to do with the basil you may want to blanch by putting it in a
colander and pouring boiling water over it then plunge into ice water. That's
if you want to use it whole later. If you plan on making pesto simply grind it
and add olive oil, then freeze. Don't put the pine nuts/cheese/complete boat
of oil in at the time of freezing, just use the base oil/basil mixture as the
start for fresh pesto.

>best method?). The alternative is freezing. Any suggestions? Somewhere in
>the basement a dehydrator is lurking in its box---would this work?

Skip the dehydrator for the thyme - cut lengths and dry it on window screens,
then put it in a jar or tin.

Best,

Marc