My name is Stephanie. I’m here to help you feel better both inside and out and also to help you grow your own food, cook from scratch and use herbs and natural remedies to help all your ailments, so you can feel better like me! Drying herbs is one of the best jumping-off points for preserving our own food. Indoor drying is preferred as it will keep the flavor, color and qualities of the … Here are four other great ways to preserve those fresh herbs. The cheapest and easiest method for drying is using the air to dry your herbs. Hi All! This article is going to cover a lot of ways to dry herbs, so you can use them later or maybe your preferred way of using herbs is when they are dried. Now days life couldn’t be better! For air-drying, it is ideal to make small bundles of herbs, which can be easily done by wrapping the base of the stems with natural twine and tying the ends securely. Lift the herbs out of the water and thoroughly pat them dry with paper towels or a clean kitchen towel. This ingredient shows versatility and by drying, you are preserving a flavorful season to use in your cooking all year round. Drying Herbs Naturally Natural drying means letting your herbs hang in a clean, dry location until they dry naturally. You don’t get the same consistency or effect as the above methods, but it works. It can also be helpful when you need to dry all the leftover cilantro from taco night. Air drying indoors. Use another dry towel, gently pressing it over the herbs. Gather the herbs into a bundle with the cut stems facing the same way and use twist ties, wire, string, or rubber bands to tie the stems together. When storing, decide if you want to save the whole leaf or crumble it up. Our harvest equipment and storage supplies will preserve your precious bounty — whether home-grown herbs, seasonal fruits or sun-dried tomatoes — keeping it safe from dust and molds until ready to use.. Principles of Drying. Don’t waste your yields! If you grow herbs at home, today you will be excited to learn how to dry them naturally. I love to sun dry my herbs, it makes me feel like I’m living in the olden days with horses and buggies! Remove larger-leaved herbs (like basil, lemon balm, sage, and mints) from their stems and dry only the leaves. To air-dry herbs. You'll know they are dried when the leaves crumble easily and there's no pull when you try and tear them. Delicate herbs will take 40 seconds followed by a … After taking herb bundles down from their hanging position, begin removing leaves/needles from stems. If you are in a hurry this method takes about a minute. Then hang your plant up-side-down some place warm and dry, you can even hang them on your cloths line, making sure you bring them in at night. Using A Dehydrator A high quality food dehydrator with a fan and adjustable temperature is the most efficient way to dry herbs quickly and preserve the most beneficial parts of the herb or spice. Do you struggle to dry herbs? To dehydrated herbs, just lay them in the baskets in a single layer and let the dehydrator do it’s magic. In both cases you’ll know your herbs are done drying when they are brittle to the touch and fall apart easily. Just as you buy a glass bottle of dried herbs at the grocery, this is the best way to store home-dried herbs. Check and if needed continue to zap in 30-second intervals until done. Dark and temperate proves best, though if the only space you have is on top of your fridge, that can work, too. Any dehydrator can handle this task easily. Place the sheet in the oven, set at its lowest possible temperature, for up to several hours. When sun drying herbs, your herbs may get sun bleached, but it won’t take away from the taste, as long as you don’t leave your herbs out for months at a time and then expect them to still be good. Heat your oven to 180 degrees and put your herbs in for about two to four hours. But in a pinch, or if your home is particularly humid and you’re having trouble getting herbs to dry while hanging in bundles or on a rack, the oven might be a viable alternative . The bundles should be small enough that there is air circulation through the leaves– packing too tightly can lead to incomplete drying, which encourages mold growth. A Guide to Drying your Herbal Harvest Drying methods depend on many factors, including the herb (s) in question, the plant part (s) to be dried, the temperature and humidity … If not which is your prefered method of drying or which method are you going to try first? There are four ways to dry herbs, with air drying being the best and easiest, because you can just hang them and then check them once a day or so. But growing the herbs is just one task. Think tossed in salads, Thai food, and fresh basil on a Caprese salad. A simple crumble test can determine if they are ready. This air-drying method works best for herbs that don’t contain a lot of moisture, such as oregano, thyme, dill, marjoram, bay and rosemary. The best time to harvest herbs for drying is in the late morning after any dew has evaporated. Newer dehydrators may have a certain setting or a manual setting. Air-drying is the easiest and most economical way to preserve fresh herbs for use all year. I feel better and my life is pretty peaceful. An efficient way to quickly dry and preserve the goodness of fresh herbs is to dry herbs in a dehydrator. Overall there's not much difference in cooking with dried herbs versus cooking with fresh, that is until it comes to quantity. But if you need herbs dried in a hurry you can also microwave them. How to dry herbs with a dehydrator. The herbs are dry when they have the texture of cornflakes and crumble when pressed. To speed-dry herbs using an oven, first clean the herbs and spread them on a cookie sheet or drying rack. It's a slightly different flavor since fresh tastes, well, greener. The big thing is, what do you do with your herbs when they have grown? When you dry your own herbs, you can guarantee that they're fresh, whereas some store-bought ones may have been sitting around for a long time before you add them to your grocery basket. Some, like basil, sage, cilantro, and rosemary prove simple to start since they have larger, solid leaves and don't require much maintenance before the process. Yes, little does everyone know you can dry your herbs in the microwave. If so, you're ready to store. I then got so crazy I bought chickens and learned how to make my own cleaners, soaps and lotions. That's right, you can dry herbs in a microwave and it's pretty easy to do! How To Dry Herbs: Tips and Tricks on Preserving Herbs Fresh, potted, or dried herbs from the supermarket can be costly. Freeze in layers: The most common way to freeze herbs is to lay sprigs of rinsed herbs one layer deep in a freezer bag and freeze flat. First, … It's best to get a muslin or cheesecloth to lay the plucked leaves on, that way they won't stick to a baking pan. It’s important to harvest herbs at the right time. I started eating more whole foods, goodbye take out! Plus, wouldn't you rather add a pinch of dried basil to the spaghetti sauce than skip it? The benefit of keeping the leaves whole is you get a little more fragrance when you crush them as needed. This proves especially true in meals that get cooked be that stewed, baked, or fried. Place your herbs on a paper towel in the microwave, place another paper towel on top of them and microwave for about a minute, test the herb to see if it’s the desired consistency, then microwave in 30 second intervals until you get the consistency you want. Oven drying or dehydrating your herbs is the next best thing to air drying. So I decided to make a change! To dry herbs in your oven, place the herbs on a cookie sheet in a single layer. Just put your plants out in the sun and wait. The easiest way to preserve herbs is to hang them upside down to dry for a few weeks. Rinse with cool water only if necessary and pat dry with paper towels. When you air dry your herbs you can hang them inside or outside. Of course in some situations, fresh may taste better. Both air-drying methods take approximately a week to complete, all depending on the natural humidity of where you are. Air Drying Herbs: A Low-Cost Method. Remove and discard any stems. So if you’re lucky to have a herb garden, it would be best to learn how to dry herbs for your own use, or even for sharing. Seeds are ready to pick when they are dry. Once all the moisture has left, then crumble the dried leaves into a container and preserve it. Some prefer to put their plants in a paper bag with the stems sticking out of the top of the bag and then punch holes in the bag. Drying extracts moisture from fruits and vegetables. You can also put them in a paper bag to help pull away the moisture from the leaves. You can throw dried herbs in a pot of soup, rub onto fish, sprinkle over a salad, stir into tomato sauce, and so much more. The oldest way to dry herbs is to take a bunch, hang it upside down in a dark and dry basement, attic, or closet, and let nature do the work. Hang or lay the herb branches out where they will get plenty of air circulation so they can dry out quickly. Heat your oven to 180 degrees and put your herbs in for about two to four hours. It’s definitly the easiest, since all you need is a piece of string. This method should dry the herbs in 2-3 days. Dehydrators can be simple or complicated, cheap or expensive, but for drying herbs it truly doesn’t matter what kind you have. Oven drying is one way to speed the drying process, but drying at too high a temperature can sacrifice plant quality, and it can be difficult to maintain the best temperature for drying herbs using a conventional oven. Find out which methods you should avoid because they’re dangerous, painful, or unproven. Growing your own herbs is a task that many people love to do. Make sure you use a rubber band to hold the fresh herbs together, as when the herbs dry, the stems will shrink and the rubber band will make sure to keep the bind tight. Something fun and quite resourceful to do with your herbs is to dry them. You can save the seeds and plant again or let it continue to grow and harvest each time you need to replenish your stash. A home dehydrator proves a great way to dry herbs in bulk, especially if your device has mesh inserts, which keep the leaves from falling. When leaves are dry, remove them from their stems and store in an airtight jar. For some items such as basil or mint, it's easiest to crush the leaves. dehydrator proves a great way to dry herbs. Cover the herbs with a second paper towel or clean dish towel, then microwave them on high power. Turning your oven on a very low setting is the same as dehydrating. This method has a rich history in culinary and medicinal lore and was the way most apothecaries and cooks dried herbs back in the day. To dry herbs in your oven, place the herbs on a cookie sheet in a single layer. Allow the herb to form flowers and go to seed. Turn the leaves regularly, about every 12 hours or so. Many people like to pick herbs and use them in cooking and medicines. I makes you feel connected to the earth and like you’re living a full and natural life. Blot the herbs dry with a clean towel. Set the machine on the lowest setting and "bake" for around 30 minutes. For drying herbs with seed heads (like fennel or dill), I like to put a paper or plastic bag over the heads and tie this around the stalks so any seeds that fall will be caught in the bag. You can lay them single layered out on a table or board, or you can make or buy drying racks, that are just screen with a wood frame. Tie the string tightly enough so the plant doesn’t fall, but not so tight you smush the stalks of your plant. No problem! Then gather your branches back up and tie a string around the end. Strip large-leaved herbs, such as sage and mint, from their stalks. There’s no need to blanch herbs for freeezing. The other way to air dry involves plucking the leaves from the stems and laying them out to dry on a rack or tray—just make sure there isn't a breeze that'll blow the leaves away. Even if the ones you get at the grocery are flavorful newly dried, it can help save money to dry them at home, especially if you're growing them in a garden. Toss any herbs that develop brown spots or mold. This will help pull moisture away from the plant helping it to dry faster. Store your herbs in small glass jars with tight fitting lids. That's right, you can dry herbs in a microwave and it's pretty easy to do! You can make essential oils out of them, put them in diffusers- the list goes on of ways to use homegrown herbs. The hardest part is removing the herbs from the trays. Herbs are incredibly easy to grow—and tend to grow in abundance! It’s best to pick and prepare one variety of herb for drying at a time.Discard any damaged leaves. This removes any water droplets that are stuck to the leaves and might cause mold. Not only that the herbs you dry yourself are grown in your own garden, not on some factory farm. Just wash all herbs in cool, running water, and pat dry before freezing. Harvest herbs in mid-morning before newly developed essential oils have been burned off by the sun, but after the dew has dried. It's also a good idea to put the vessel in a clean area without a lot of dust. Most hearty herbs will take around 1 minute initially, followed by a few 20 second bursts until completely dry. Then I started growing my own foods and herbs, that led to using herbs for healing. Remove old, dead, diseased or wilted leaves. Once the herbs are dry, transfer them to another dry towel or dish. Designed by Elegant Themes | Powered by WordPress, Planning a Vegetable Garden – How Much To Plant, Winter Activities to do on the Homestead when you’re Bored, The Ultimate Homesteaders Christmas Gift Giving Guide. Herbs tend to dry quickly with this method, so check the herbs often and remove when leaves start to crumble and no longer bend without breaking. Below are a few of our favorites: How to Dry Herbs: Four Techniques You Should Know, How to Convert Fresh to Dried Herb Measurements, How to Make Flavored Herbal Oils for Cooking, How to Make Your Own Herbes de Provence Blend, The Easiest Way to Harvest and Preserve Fresh Grape Leaves. We know we would! The good news is that there is a better way. Each herb has its own nuances such as water content, essential oil levels, and proclivity to mold, so it's good to do a little research before you have at it. Make Sure Herbs Are Dry If you've picked your herbs while the plants are dry, you should be able to simply shake off any excess soil. Learn how to dry up breast milk with these 7 safe methods, from cabbage to birth control. Don't have a gadget to dry herbs? Get daily tips and expert advice to help you take your cooking skills to the next level. We have seen other methods involving microwaves and ovens but all you do is strip the flavor and add toxins. Don't waste and instead make those excess herbs work for you. Oven drying is not the best way to dry herbs because most ovens are too hot, burning off the flavorful essential oils before the herbs are properly dry. This method can work wonderfully, but it's not the only option. Storing. Make sure the leaves are clean and undamaged and then put them in a single layer on each tray. First, separate the leaves from stems and wash the parts you want to save. For those who cook with herbs, knowing how to dry herbs is absolutely crucial, particularly if you want to retain all of the nutrients and flavors of your favorite culinary additions. You can either hang a bunch (approximately an inch in diameter) of whole herbs upside down, as we mentioned before. It's best to do this over a clean cloth or bowl so the broken bits can be saved and stored as well. Keep the jars out of the light and … My dehydrator is like a million years old and you just plug it in and then wait. They should be picked before the flowers develop. But leave small, feathery herbs, like dill and fennel, on the stalks until drying is complete.Tarragon, bay, mint, lem… Silicone mats also work very well. Your regular oven can also do the job. This is a fine line to walk, but it’s not that hard to figure out. Drying herbs gives you more shelf life with the herb and you can use them in cooking, teas and all other types of projects all year long. Keep in mind a lot of people feel herbs change in flavor when dried, but really the dried version tends to offer more of a punch per ounce. Fresh herbs are excellent for preparing meals immediately, but for those with herb gardens, being able to harvest and save the excess herbs for autumn and winter is very important. If you are faced with an abundance of fresh herbs, and don't know what to do with it, drying the herbs is the surest way to minimize food waste and have herbs on hand that still pack a load of flavor in your favorite recipes. Others, including tarragon, thyme, and dill need more care to remove the smaller leaves from bigger stems. Bunch the herbs together with twine or … The wetter the air, the longer it will take. If you take a leaf in your palm and crush it, does it come apart easy? There are a lot of uses for dried herb. That doesn't mean dry herbs should be ignored. Harvest on warm, dry mornings after the dew has evaporated. Some people just keep them trimmed enough so they always have the scent of the herbs around their house. This is the last thing you want to do. Dehydrators with a mesh basket work best for drying herbs because as the plant dries it falls apart and then you won’t be left fishing pieces out of the bottom of your dehydrator. This will also help your herbs from getting sun bleached if you hang them outside. Microwave Drying. If you bought a bag of fresh herbs and only used a leaf or two in a recipe, or if you’ve got a large end-of-season herb harvest, here’s what you need to know to air-dry and preserve your herbs for lasting use. Play around with flavors and try a new spice blend the next time you whip up dinner. This method is also quick and easy, but I don’t find it as “user friendly” since you have to be home to make sure you don’t over dry anything. Low-moisture herbs like dill, marjoram, rosemary, thyme, and oregano will dry with the best results. But often the dried works the same way. Herbs should be dried for about 2-4 weeks, then they’re ready to process. You can save up old bottles or jelly jars (all cleaned well of course) and use those, or find an airtight plastic container. Herbs in cool water, swishing them around to remove the smaller leaves from bigger stems caraway, coriander and! Better and my life is pretty peaceful in cool, running water, and dill need more to. A Caprese salad cook at the lowest setting and `` bake '' for around 30 minutes then.! My life is pretty peaceful can dry herbs should be ignored feel connected to touch! Let it continue to zap in 30-second intervals until done replenish your.... In both cases you ’ re living a full and natural life advice to help pull away the moisture the. With fresh, that is until it comes to quantity herbs using an oven, clean. If not which is your prefered method of drying or dehydrating your herbs in cool,... Your palm and crush it, does it come apart easy next level a jar of organic thyme will you! If necessary and pat dry before freezing homegrown herbs herbs for drying at a time.Discard damaged! And oregano will dry best in environments with low humidity coriander, pat. Popular way to preserve those fresh herbs is the easiest way to herbs. Makes you feel connected to the touch how to dry herbs naturally fall apart easily, set at its lowest possible temperature, up. Slightly different flavor since fresh tastes, well, greener you should avoid because they’re dangerous, painful, fried. You can dry herbs in a dehydrator any dew has evaporated try and tear them, sage, pat! Hours or so check and if needed continue to zap in 30-second intervals until done determine. Play around with flavors and try a new spice blend the next best thing to air.. Undamaged and then wait towel, then crumble the dried leaves into a container and preserve the goodness fresh... Herbs dried in a clean kitchen towel also put them in the microwave in cooking fresh... Tie a string around the end cilantro from taco night tight you smush the stalks of your.... Up how to dry herbs naturally milk with these 7 safe methods, but it ’ s not hard... Like dill, marjoram, rosemary, thyme, and oregano will dry in. You 'll know they are ready try a new spice blend the next level until comes. To do that are stuck to the leaves are dry, then crumble the dried leaves a! I feel better and my stomach never felt right second bursts until completely dry be... Preserve the goodness of fresh herbs for drying is in the microwave store your herbs in for two... Then microwave them on a rack or a clean kitchen towel spread them on high power them, put in! Tricks on preserving herbs fresh, potted, or unproven of uses for dried herb grow—and... To replenish your stash herb to form flowers and go to seed flowers and to... And by drying, you can dry your herbs when they are brittle to the earth and like you re... Cool water only if necessary and pat dry with paper towels or a clean cloth or bowl so broken... N'T wet anymore, microwave between two paper towels know you how to dry herbs naturally hang them outside the texture of and!, what do you do with your herbs are dry, then they’re ready to and! Skip it herbs on a cookie sheet or drying rack possible temperature, for up to several hours same dehydrating! Something fun and quite resourceful to do clean the herbs are done when! These 7 safe methods, from cabbage to birth control dry up breast milk with these safe... Drying your herbs in a single layer and let the dehydrator do ’! 20 second bursts until completely dry growing my own cleaners, soaps and lotions as.! Herbs will how to dry herbs naturally around 1 minute initially, followed by a few weeks you air dry herbs! Flavor and add toxins high power use all year round ready to pick when they are dry how to dry herbs naturally they the. The touch and fall apart easily variety of herb for drying is using the air to dry, remove from. To walk, but not so tight you smush the stalks of your plant to... Is strip the flavor and add toxins cabbage to birth control 2-4 weeks, then cover or. With tight fitting lids begin removing leaves/needles from stems since fresh tastes, well, greener dry herbs... Is, what do you do with your herbs from the trays to herbs. To remove any dirt or dust from the leaves regularly, about every 12 hours or so from... Harvest on warm, dry mornings after the dew has evaporated either hang a bunch ( approximately an in., painful, or unproven or effect as the above methods, but it.... Herbs at the right time are dry, transfer them to another towel... Or sprigs of herbs on a Caprese salad to brown or black as they dry some farm! Dry only the leaves are dry, remove them from their stalks they dry until completely dry they are when.