Dehydrating Ground Ivy To Be Used As Herb

Ground Ivy, Glechoma hederacea, is an aromatic creeping perennial in the mint family Lamiaceae. It is also known as gill-over-the-ground, creeping charlie, field balm, catsfoot, alehoof, tunhoof, and run-away-robin.  Chances are you have it in your back yard.  It has a strong flavor described as a cross between sage and rosemary.  It can easily be dried and used in cooking.  It is particularly good with pork dishes.  My husband, who is not a fan or sage and rosemary, says that he prefers this herb to both of those.  However, some people will have a strong aversion to it.  It's a love/hate kind of plant.

Start by locating the plant in an area that is free of pesticides and not used by pets.  It is one of the very first plants to arrive in spring.  My ground ivy showed up in my herb bed and because I liked it, it never left! Clip as much as you like or pull out by the roots.  It comes back.

Wash and then tie the cut ends together with twine.  

Hang in an out of the way area to dry for about two weeks.  Attics and garages are great.
 

Dried Ground Ivy

Once crispy, remove the string and use your fingers to slide the leaves off of the stem into a bowl.  

Stems with leaves removed.  Toss or compost.

Grind the leaves.  I use a small coffee grinder.

 

Now it is ready to be used!  It will keep as long as any other herb.  Because it is so easy to acquire, you could replace it every year.  I actually prefer the dried version over fresh.  There is a subtle muted change in the flavor.
  

Ground ground ivy!  It looks a lot like oregano.

Here's what you can do with it!  Baked turkey seasoned with olive oil, ground ivy and garlic salt!