This fine Monday morning is a one of my double duty days, that mean’s that Dh has his writers group tonight in the big city..  So I will be doing both sets of chores today and the rest of the day will be spent working in the gardens in some way or form.

They say that its going to be very warm on Tuesday and Weds, which means that the next two days are perfect days for some mass air drying of spring greens, the big one I am after at the moment is nettles. One whole hanger is nothing but nettles.

Now about my hangers, yes, they are the netted ones they sell for tidying up a room, they collapse to be flat, they have a heavy-duty clasp on the top that goes over my cloths line or a branch, they swing and sway in the breeze and their biggest downfall is getting everything into and out of those little holes on the front. You can stuff them fuller if you want to do but remember that once’s the leaves wilt that you want a full layer but not multi layers, you need air flow.

The other one is different per load, a mix of pot herbs, mints, greens, wild violets and cedar and flowers..

For the people drying, I will start lots of drying in the hangers if the weather is fine, but I will finish them in the big power dryer, this save time and costs, they will have already wilted down, they will have already started the process outside and I will be able to run a full nine trays load while the others get half way there. This method allows me to pick in the morning, run the dryer during the day, finish them.. and then set the dryer up again to start for round two but being down by bed time.

My wild violets are at the perfect stage of flowering and green for many coming projects, because they will be used for the humans (and perhaps a touch for the critters in terms of salve) they will be put into the big dryer on the herb setting. I have picked just a touch to many for the dryer, so did one layer in the outdoor as well.

Much to my surprise I went over to cut some apple mint, I had already collected the spearmint from a different spot in the garden and there in my biggest rhubarb plant was the start of a flower..  nope.. snip it went..  will be used in lunch today.. Clearly I need to go out and pick some rhubarb.