You can use favourite herbs right throughout the year, just by drying them and storing them at home. There are two methods to dry your fresh herbs from the garden: either you air-dry your herbs, or you use a dehydrator like an oven or microwave, and store them
Best Way to Dry Fresh Herbs At Home
Hang your herbs upside down in a place that is cool and dry so that you can air-dry your herbs. That is a very efficient and easy natural method to dry your fresh herbs at home without having to use a dehydrator, and also making sure that you can preserve the aroma and flavor.
A shortcut that might be tempting is to use a microwave or oven, set on low heat (105 degree farenheit), but they end up cooking the herbs, which reduces the flavor and oil content of the herbs, and should be used only as a last option
Best Herbs to Dry
Bay, Anise Hyssop, Dill, Calendula, Angelica, Chamomile, Oregano, Lavender, Rosemary, Lemon Balm, Marjoram, Mint Thyme, Sage, and Summer Savory are the best herbs to air-dry. Other favourites are
How to Dry Fresh Herbs at Home Using Air Drying
Follow these steps to dry fresh herbs at home using Air drying
- First, harvest your herbs from the garden and gather the clippings
- Shake your herbs to get rid of any insects
- Wash your herbs to make sure that they are clean
- Dry your herbs by using a paper towel, and keep them in the air to dry them
- From your herb Remove all the lower leaves so that you have half an inch dry at the bottom of the stem
- Take four to six stems and tie them together in a bundle if the herbs have small
- Use paper bags, put the bundle of herbs inside, and punch some holes in the paper bags to allow the herbs to dry. Make sure that you label the paper bags and don’t put too many herbs in a paper bag, crowding them. This step is not necessary, but some people find that paper bags make herbs dry out well and also faster, using a paper bag
- The traditional way to dry the herb is to hang it upside down on a line for clothing or a drying rack, and make sure the room is airy and warm for them to dry naturally
- Make sure you check them every day, and herbs like mint are prone to mold, so clean them
How to Tell if Herbs Are Dry
Most herbs get dry in a week, but you can always wait till two to three weeks to make sure that the herbs are completely dry
You will know herbs are completely dry when they have a crunchy texture, and the stems will feel brittle when you bend them; they will easily crack. That is the sign that the herbs are dry
How to Dry Fresh Herbs at Home using a Microwave or an Oven
This is not an ideal method, but you can use it as a last resort if you want to do it faster
- Just like the previous method, harvest your herbs, wash them, cut your stems, and make them into a bundle following steps 1 to 6.
- When you take the herbs, spread them on a microwave-safe plate
- Cover them with a second paper towel
- For Most herbs, you should heat on Microwave for 1 minute, followed by heating for 20 seconds until the herbs are dry
- If the herb is delicate, then heat for 40 seconds and then check for 20 seconds to see if they are dry.
How to Store Dried Herbs At Home
Follow these steps to store dried fresh herbs at home
- If you have any molds on your herbs, discard them, as they will spread only
- You should store these herbs at home in airtight containers, small janning or you can use plastic bags that are zippered also.
- Ideally, use Amber colored jars. If you use clean jars, make sure that they are not directly in the sunlight
- Remove Leaves and Flowers from the stem and put them in your jars, making sure that they are full in the containers, making container air tight.
- You can also use your dried herbs in glass jars that come from the store and have become empty.
- Label the containers along with the date of storing
- Place these containers in a place that is cold and dry
Best Dried Herbs to Use For
The best dried herbs to use for tea are mint, chamomile, lemon balm, and calendula
The best dried herbs for gifts and wreaths are sage and oregano.