By drying herbs with artificial heat as quickly as possible, you
preserve their scent and flavour much better than when they are
dried slowly by exposing them to the sun and air; a process by
which a large portion of their strength evaporates. All sorts of
herbs are in the greatest perfection just before they begin to
flower. Gather them on a dry day, and place them in an oven, which
must not be hot enough to discolour, scorch, or burn them. When
they are quite dry, take them out, and replace them with others.
Pick the leaves from, the stems, (which may be thrown away,) and
put them into bottles or jars; cork them tightly, and keep them in
a dry place. Those that are used in cookery should be kept in a
kitchen closet.