[japagow]

I have several tarragon plants grown because I like to cook with it but it's expensive or difficult to find in the shops.

The plants are straggling with one long stem  covered in leaves.

What do I have to do to it now? Do the plants survive?.

[wighty]

I don't dry it, I just chop it finely and then cram into ice cube trays, pour on a little bit of water and then freeze.  I do this with quite a few of my herbs.  You just have to remember to mark each bag with what's in it as they all look the same  and chicken and mint did not taste quite right!

[New shoot]

I tried drying it and it isn't that great, so I would go with Wighty's method, or steep in in wine vinegar to make tarrgon vinegar.

French tarragon is a bit tender.  It will survive if your soil is well drained over winter but if you are in a cold spot, you might want to cover it with a bell cloche.  Russian tarragon is hardier 

[sunshineband]

Hardier but not so fragrant imho 

I had a french tarragon plant rooted inot the border of an unheated greenhouse for years, and used to dry a big bunch every autumn by just hanging it up, tied with string, in the kitchen on the  clothes line I had near the ceiling.

Not as good as fresh but still OK 

[shokkyy]

I've discovered microwave drying for my herbs this year, and I'll never do it any other way again cos it's so fast and easy

All you need to do is lay the sprigs/leaves out on a sheet of kitchen roll in the microwave, put another sheet on top of them, then blast them on high for 1min and check. Keep putting them back for 30 sec bursts until they're crisp and then bash them with a rolling pin. I did thyme, oregano, mint, sage, parsley, tarragon, and on average they were taking 2 to 3mins total. Best part is they're completely dried out but still green.

[japagow]

Thanks for the replies.

I don't have a microwave due to lack of space so I shall opt for the ice cube finely chopped option.