Unless You Like Eating Mold, YouÕd Better Learn How to Dry Herbs

Herbs are delicate plants. They are susceptible to all kinds of plant diseases. Just get them a little wet, put them in a dark place and before you know it—mold! And not the penicillin kind either. That’s why if you’re planning on planting herbs, you’d better know how to dry herbs after you pick them.

Now, you can go out to your garden supplies store and pay all kinds of money for some herb garden gadgets. You might have guessed they’d have many models to choose from, in designer colors too. But honestly, you can do just as good a job without their fancy gizmos-- by drying herb plants yourself—if you know how.

Dry Herbs Yourself Using Just a Plain Old Doorknob

Well, here’s how: Take the herb, stem and all, wash well and either pat dry or allow to drip dry. Next, take a clean paper shopping bag, open it and spread the herb evenly over the bottom. Now, be careful not to clump up the herbs lying on the bottom, just hang the shopping bag handle over a doorknob.

After a couple of days, stir the herb up. This allows any dampness on the bottom to come to the top. Allow a few more days back on the doorknob for the herb to dry thoroughly. It’s important for the herb to be completely dry because any dampness may cause mold to form, that’s invisible to the eye— but could form mold spores later.

Once the herb is bone dry, discard the herb stems if you wish. Crush and bottle the leaves in jars with very tight-fitting lids. Label it clearly with the date, just in case. Use, as needed. Now, bring on those recipes!

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