Use mulch and the leaves won't get as dirty. Shredded leaves has worked great for me.

I really haven't had any problem, just running water over them has been enough for me, but since I grow without pesticides and feel a little bit of dirt never hurt anyone, I don't worry a whole lot about it. I did mulch with straw this year though and it's made a world of difference. No more dirt splashing up during a rain!

My Oregano is so thick there would not be anyway the stems I cut would have any soil on them in the first place. Of course where I live I can harvest all year long so I do not even try to dehydrate them.

kim1947,

Don't give up. Try this. I put my lettuce and other plants that are "sandy/dirty" in a big container of cold/cool water (couple of gallons) with about 2-3 cups of white vinegar. Then I take my hand and REALLY SWISH them VIGOROUSLY in the solution. The sand/dirt comes off and I remove the plants to a colander. Then I empty that huge container and fill again with plain water. I rinse again. Then I rinse a third time. At the end of this process I have absolutely no sand/dirt on the leaves. I have also put mulch (pine bark only) around my low growing herbs to cut down on the sand/dirt.

My mother taught us about washing herbs and collard greens and it was always a triple wash!!

DL

I dry lots of herbs, medicinal and culinary. The small bits of clinging dirt fall off in the drying process as a rule. Only the fuzziest plants hang on to the dirt. If they are dirty, you have to really swish/rub those in some water to get the dirt off.

My herb plants - and I don't mulch, are usually dirt-free. I don't need to wash them before drying. Washing before drying can make mold more prevalent especially in my moist climate. Hard rains and watering with a hose are the best ways to get your herbs dirty and with splashed mud. Can't do much about the hard rains but you can take care when watering. My herbs rarely get watered. I only water in extreme bouts of heat or lack of rain. Obviously, your location and weather may vary from mine.

FataMorgana

I'm a bit puzzled by the dirt on your oregano too. Is it from water splashes? Maybe you are watering overhead or something? I don't find oregano gets muddy even in my sopping wet climate. It stands about a foot tall and is very thick. I'm trying to picture how yours gets so dirty.