Drying Herbs - How To Dry Herbs
Drying herbs can be a great way to have herbs year round!
You can easily learn how to dry herbs in a dehydrator or by air and have wonderful dried herbs
from your garden all year long!
Dried herbs are more potent than fresh herbs. Since drying herbs removes the water, and leaves all the nutrients
and other goodies there it stands to reason that the effect elements in the herbs are more concentrated.
So when cooking or using herbs in teas or for other medicinal purposes, remember to use about half as much of the
dried herb than you would if it were fresh.
How To Dry Herbs
Drying herbs in the dehydrator is a good option if you are drying a huge amount of herbs or ones with very high moisture.
The potency and flavor of dried herbs can be easily destroyed so make sure you dry them at a very low temperature.
Wash all leaves and discard any damaged parts before drying.
Lay the herbs out on a dehydrator tray and dry at 90 degrees for 3 to 5 hours.
Air drying herbs is the preferred method as it will insure your herbs retain the highest quality and flavor with the
least amount of expense. Learning how to dry herbs with the air dry method is easy! As with a dehydrator, wash the herbs,
discard any damaged parts and dry on paper towels. Tie a a bunch of the herbs together by the stems and place upside down in
a paper bag gather - the end of the bag around the stems and tying off. Punch small air holes in the bag and hang in a dry place
for about 2 weeks.
Check your dried herbs - whether you air dried or used a dehydrator, for mold before storing away.
Some herbs that have a lot of moisture like mint and basil may be hard to dry and might get moldy.
Discard the stems and save the leaves whole as they will last longer than if you crush them before storage.
After drying herbs, store in an airtight container and put in a cool, dry and dark spot.
It is a good idea to label your storage container so you know how old the herbs are.
They should last about a year. When you take them out to use them, check for mold.
To determine if they are still good, just take a wiff after opening the container -
they should have a strong smell of the herb but no mold.
Of Interest
Find out more about herb uses
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