Drying and Storing Herbs

Herbs can be dried in many ways, some of which do not need any energy except

sun and wind power.

You can freeze herbs, but they may come out all wilted on defrosting. This method

is best used for herbs you want to make into teas or cook with. If you wish to do

this, place a small bunch (enough for one dose or use) in a plastic bag or chop the

herbs finely and fill ice cube trays, you then only have to pop out as many cubes as

you need at the time .

For all methods, harvest your herbs in the morning, after the dew has dried on the

leaves, or in the early evening. The highest concentration of flavour and oils in the

herbs usually occurs just before they flower. That is the best time to harvest them

for drying.

You can dry herbs regularly throughout the year to take advantage of good growth;

many herbs grow better if you pick them regularly. Most of them are grazed by

animals so have evolved to grow back. It also stops them from growing into woody

stems or getting too big and flopping all over the place.

Drying Methods

Oven Drying

Set your oven at its lowest temperature. Arrange your herbs in a single layer on a

wire rack that you have lined with cheesecloth. Place in the oven and leave the

door open a bit. Turn the herbs every half hour until they are dry and crumbly.

Microwave Drying

Place herbs in a single layer - preferably not touching, between layers of

microwave-safe paper towels. Microwave on high power for 2 to 3 minutes,

checking often to make sure they are not scorching. When you think they are dry

enough, take the top layer of paper towel off and let the herbs cool as there may

still be some moisture in them, then check the herbs to see if the leaves are brittle

and pull from the stem easily. If they are still not dry, cover them again and

microwave in additional 15 second intervals until they are fully dry.

This is my favourite method, as I collect herbs regularly through the year, so I only

have small amounts at one time, it is quick and convenient.

Dehydrator Drying

You can buy a dehydrator quite cheaply these days and they are excellent if you

regularly dry large quantities of herbs in one go. The manual will give you timings.

Remove thick stems before dehydrating if you are not going to use them, they take

a lot longer to dry than the leaves or flowers which will use up more energy than

necessary and also the parts you want to keep will be too dry if you wait until the

stems are done.

I use some mesh on my shelves when drying smaller leaves as the shelves let too

many drop through as they shrink. I have found chip mesh sheets are perfect for

this purpose.

Once the herbs have dried out leave them in the turned off dehydrator to cool down

before putting into a jar.

Air Drying

Cut sprigs 6 or 7 inches in length then strip the bottom leaves to expose a few

inches of bare stems. Gather into small, loose bunches - you want to leave room

around the leaves for air to circulate.

Tie stems together very tightly, as stems will shrink as they dry. Use string or

rubber bands. Hang the bunch upside down in a warm, dry place, with air

circulation, and out of direct sunlight, an airing cupboard is good, and the linen

ends up smelling great too! It may take up to 2 weeks for herbs to dry, depending

on humidity. Leaves will be brittle and crumbly when completely dried. Drying

herbs slowly will help them to retain their colour, and also the volatile oils

contained in the herbs that give them each its unique flavour and aroma. A

well-ventilated attic is a good place to dry herbs too if you have one. In cooler

temperatures, the herbs will take more time to dry.

Herbs can also be air-dried on a screen, which is a good method for drying herbs

that have stems too short to be gathered into a bunch, or for loose leaves (including

those stripped off to make bunches as above). Turn leaves frequently to ensure

thorough, even drying of the herbs.

I have also done this outside on hot sunny summer days but in the shade, it works well on herbs like parsley, thyme etc, after all, this was probably the original way to dry herbs

out!

Flower-press Drying

This method takes up less space than air-drying by hanging or on a screen. You can

use a purchased flower-press, or make your own by using a stack of heavy books.

Arrange the herbs in a single layer between sheets of paper towel. Place several

thicknesses of newspaper between the layers (for example: book - newspaper -

paper towel – herbs - paper towel - newspaper - book - newspaper-paper

towel-herbs-paper towel-newspaper - 2 or 3 books).

Pressed herbs will take longer to dry-up to 6 weeks, maybe longer. They will not

need to be checked or turned as often. They also will dry flat rather than retaining

their natural shape.

Collecting Seeds

You can collect seeds very easily. Cut a 6 or 7 inch stem with the seed head and put

a few heads into a paper bag with the stem ends sticking out of the bag. In summer

I pin the bags to my washing line! The heat shrinks the seed capsule and the seeds

fall out into the bag. I check them every couple of days, take out the seeds and put

the heads back for more drying. Then I sort the seeds on a large plate, taking out

unripe seeds and unwanted bits. The seeds are then put in a dish on a sunny

windowsill for a few more days to make sure they are really dry then I put them in

a glass jar (labeled of course)!

Storing your Herbs

When the herbs are completely dried, remove the leaves from the stems. If the

herbs do not crumble, but seem to clog into a lump as you rub them, they are not

properly dry. The dried herbs should then be stored in airtight containers, glass jars

are best, preferably dark coloured. Label them immediately so that you don’t forget

what each herb is and put the date of storage on the label too so that you do not

leave them for too long, as they will lose their potency with age.

Store in a cool, dark, dry place as soon as possible after drying as the leaves

quickly absorb moisture from the air and you may find you have to re-dry them if

left unattended for too long!

If stored before completely dry, they will get mouldy.