I've got an oregano bed (Greek oregano) that's almost out of control. It's in FULL sun down here in Savannah, so maybe your plants aren't getting enough sun. My bed is about 3 feet by 1ý feet, and I'm trying to control it a raised bed but it keeps poking through the landscape timbers. I've discovered that most of the herbs I grow thrive in lots of sun -- rosemary, basil, thyme, and sage all love it, the dill can stand full sun if watered daily, but the parsley seems to want more shade. Make sure you're giving your oregano lots of sun (and heat, to judge by how mine grows), and you should get flavorful leaves.

Many of the leafy herbs will be limp on thawing - parsley, coriander, dill leaf, basil etc - but they can be used in recipes. They retain their flavour, but not their looks, so aren't much good for garnishes and the like. You don't have to freeze them in water, though for herbs like chives, this is a handy way of doing it - just pop the ice cube into your stew, or for things like lemon balm, into your summer punch! I just chop them up and put them in a plastic bag or a plastic container, pressing them down into a flat pancake. It's easy then just to break off pieces of suitable size, without having to get out the hammer and chisel to break up a mountain or solid rock! You can make layers by putting some plastic wrap between. Or you can put different herbs into plastic sandwich bags which you then label, and put the bags in layers inside a larger suitable container. That way you can keep all your herbs together and they don't get lost in the freezer. You CAN dry any herb, but some lose their flavour on drying (basil, chives, oregano). Some flavours are intensified on drying (rosemary, bay). You need to experiment with small amounts to see which you prefer to suit your own taste buds. Remember, if drying, that the smaller the particles (powder), the shorter the shelf-life. Also remember to keep dried herbs well away from heat, light, moisture and bugs - in airtight containers (ie NOT near the stove!!).

SOUR CREAM SPICE CAKE WITH CARAMEL FROSTING 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour 1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar 1 cup sour cream 1/2 cup butter 1/2 cup water 2 tsp. ground cinnamon 1 1/4 tsp. baking soda 1 tsp. baking powder 3/4 tsp. ground cloves 1/2 tsp. salt 1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg 2 large eggs FROSTING 3/4 cup butter 1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar 3/8 cup milk 3 cups powdered sugar Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour the bottom and sides of two 9-inch round pans and then line with parchment paper. In a large bowl, beat all cake ingredients with an electric mixer on low speed 30 seconds, scraping the bowl constantly. Beat on high speed 3 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally. Pour batter evenly into pans. Bake for 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool completely in pans on wire rack, about 1 hour. Remove cake from pans. To make the frosting, melt butter over medium heat in a 2-quart saucepan. Stir in brown sugar. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly; reduce heat to low. Boil and stir 2 minutes. Stir in milk. Heat to boiling; remove from heat. Cool to lukewarm, about 30 minutes. Gradually stir in powdered sugar. Beat with spoon until smooth and spreadable. If frosting becomes too stiff, stir in additional milk, 1 teaspoon at a time. Place one cake layer, rounded side down, on serving plate or cake stand. Place 4 strips of waxed paper underneath around the edge of plate. Spread about 1/2 cup frosting over the top of the first layer. Place second layer, rounded side up, on frosted first layer. Coat side of cake with a very thin layer of frosting to seal in crumbs. Continue frosting the sides and top of cake. Carefully remove waxed paper strips. Serves 16.

Jasdip, These were the other threads. The cookalongs. I know I said tried and true, but this is what I was thinking of...