If only I could share, apart from the pictures, all the aroma and the scent of this day!
Harvesting oregano is one of the most pleasant tasks of our farm life! Actually it is a walk on the wild side of the farm where we let local herbs and wild vegetation flourish without our intervention!
If you think that it is different than the oregano plants you have seen, you are probably right since this is a native Cretan variety! It grows on its own on the mountains of the island and the best time to pick it up is just before it blooms, usually at late spring.
When I harvest a plant I barely take 20-30% of the branches in order to allow it to complete the natural circle of blooming and seeding. It is more like pruning rather than harvesting but that way I know I'll find more the next year and the years to come. Wild plants are priceless and we should treat them with respect. I get furious when I see people cutting from the ground or even worse, uprooting non-cultivated herbs to sell them for profit. The vegetation of the mountains is our common legacy and should always be protected.
Oregano's importance is way more that adding taste to our food. The essential oil has countless pharmaceutical uses and here in Crete we often use oregano in tea mixtures for the cold and stomach problems. In order to maintain the maximum of it's properties I let it dry hanging from the ceiling at a spot with no direct sunlight and when it can be ground by hand, I save it in glass jars.
What about you? I would love to hear where you get your oregano from, on the comments and who knows you may even get a juicy upvote due to the Be POSH, Engage and help Hive Thrive initiative by 
All the pictures and the words are mine.
Thank you for reading and if you want to know more about me you can check out my introduction post.
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