Things aren't always as they appear

This photo was taken earlier in the summer when my container herbs began to sprout out and make good use of the sunny weather.  The bush became much larger. Just a few days ago (after you read this post) I trimmed it back and took some of the stems in to dry.  No use letting it go to waste.

 Sorry, but I forgot to take a before picture.
I consulted a few websites on how to dry the herbs and decided to go with the oven drying method.

I rinsed the bunches of stems a couple of times and patted them dry.

Then I broke them into smaller pieces placing them on the cooky sheet with plenty of room between them.

I placed them in the oven at 200 degrees for 30 minutes.

Directions I'd read warned that the finished product must not contain any moisture or they would mold, destroying the whole batch.  A good way to test it is to twist some of the leaves between your fingers.  If they crumble then they are dry.

Here is a close up of the after batch before stripping the leaves from the stems. To remove, shear the leaves through your dry hands in the opposite direction.   It's very easy and the dried product comes off in no time. You can use gloves if you like.  Getting one of the leaves under a nail feels like a splinter.

This is a picture of the dried leaves inside a plastic container before being jarred. I know what it looks like but: THINGS AREN'T ALWAYS AS THEY APPEAR.

I used a clean jar that originally contained pasta sauce to store the dried rosemary.  I plan to try this same thing with the lavender and sage I have.

THAT'S IT***