Drying Herbs - Next Best Thing to Fresh

In the ideal world, you’d always have fresh herbs from your vegetable garden available for culinary and medicinal uses. Alas, we don’t leave in a world where fresh herbs grow year round in all climates so drying herbs may be the next best option.

To dry herb plants, follow these simple instructions:

For peak flavor, harvest herbs just before they flower. Cut the stems early in the morning just after the dew has evaporated. Gently rinse each herb stem under cold running water. Pat the herb stems dry or lay them in the sun.

Once the moisture from the wash has evaporated, remove any blossoms and all but the top six inches of foliage from the herb stems. You are now ready to dry the herbs using one of the methods below.

Air Drying

Herbs dried at room temperature will retain their natural flavors and oils. To air dry herbs, bundle a small group of stems together and place the herb bundle in a brown paper bag. Loosely close the bag. Try to keep the sides of the bag from touching the herb stems. Cut a few holes or slits in the bag then hang it upside down in a warm, dark space.

The herbs will be dried in about two weeks. You’ll know the drying process is complete when the herb leaves crumble easily.

Oven Drying

Herbs with high moisture contents need to be dried quickly to prevent molding. Basil and mint should be dried in a dehydrator or an oven. The downside to these drying processes is that they can sap the natural flavor and oil out of the herbs.

To dry herbs in the oven, remove the leaves from the stems and place them in a single layer on a cookie sheet. Set the oven to 180 degrees and dry the herbs for two to four hours until the leaves crumble easily.

After herbs are dried, store the leaves whole in an airtight container. Keep the container in a cool, dark place. Crush or pulverize the dried herbs just before you’re ready to use them.

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