How to dry freshly harvested herbs

So you’ve spent the summer growing and enjoying a great range of natural fresh herbs for your kitchen. You may be using fresh herbs as a medication or ‘pick me up’ drink. For whatever reason, with the fall approaching fast, you find its too late to start drying fresh herbs to help you warm up those cold days ahead.

Although many people initially shy away from preserving herbs the task is very rewarding and it’s not as difficult a task as many people like to make it out to be.

How to Dry Herbs

Essentially for the ‘home dryer’ there are two practical methods to dry fresh herbs.

Firstly there is ‘air drying’ and then there is ‘heat drying’ fresh herbs.

To many aficionados air drying make take longer, but results in a more deeply flavoured herb, losing less natural oils in the process.

The alternative method, heat drying herbs, is quicker, but some suggest that the heat used in the process can cause the herb to lose some of its flavour and oils. However, each method will give you aromatic dried herbs that can last throughout the winter and spring if stored properly.

Tips For Drying Fresh Herbs.

Here are some common tips that can help anyone dry fresh herbs for themselves and their families. Solving that age old problem of drying and storing fresh herbs that will keep for a long time.

Choose Your Herbs Wisely.

This is the number one rule for the newcomer to herb drying. There are certain herbs that work better for drying (or freezing fresh herbs) than others.

For instance herbs that contain a lot of moisture will be more difficult to dry. So, in your early experiments at drying and storing fresh herbs it is very important for you to choose the herbs that do not contain a great deal of moisture.

Herbs such as oregano and sage are considered to be good ‘drying fresh herbs’ because they generally have very little moisture present in its natural state.

Use The Right Drying Techniques

Next to choosing your herb wisely the biggest things to remember about drying fresh herbs is that the actual process used must be carefully completed to make sure that the herbs are properly dried.

One of the common failures experienced by many when attempting drying fresh herbs is they are not drying the herbs in a way that allows it to retain its natural properties.

So by taking a little time to learn some simple techniques you can soon be providing yourself, at a minimal cost and minimal effort, tasty fragrant natural herbs.

Remember you have just put a natural product through a measured process. As a result the dried herb, will over time, slowly lose their flavour and potency. So if you are using herbs that you have stored for a time don’t forget to add a little more than if you were using the same herb straight from the ground or one that has been dried only for a week or month.


Basic Tips Before you Start the Drying Process

• Pick herbs just before the plant flowers to ensure that the flavors are at their strongest.

• When cutting herbs, make sure they are healthy. A few dead or damaged leaves here and they will not affect your drying as long as you discard them before drying process.

HANG DRYING: Hang drying is an ideal technique for long-stemmed herbs such as lavender, sage and rosemary.

Technique: Make a bundle of stems and tie the ends together. Pick a drying location that has good air circulation with minimal exposure to sunlight and dust. Hang the bundles upside down, and check back on the herbs in one to two weeks. You will know when the herbs are completely dried because the leaves will come off of the stem with minimal effort. Once they are dry, you can crumble them and store them into jars.

Pros: Hanging herbs is one of the easiest techniques and requires very minimal time.

Cons: If you do not have the right drying location, your herbs can take longer to dry.

SCREEN DRYING: This technique is great for smaller herbs.

Technique: Place the herbs on a window screen. As an alternative, you can use a piece of cheesecloth material stretched over a frame or any material that permits air circulation. Your herbs should be kept in a dry climate with minimal exposure to sunlight. Check on them after a couple of days and flip them over for so that they dry evenly. They will dry in about one week.

Pros: The process only takes about a week to complete. Like hang drying herbs, the process requires minimal time.

Cons: This drying technique requires space and a specific environment.

OVEN DRYING: Oven drying herbs speeds up the drying process, so be careful not to use this method for herbs that ignite quickly, such as sage.

Technique: Pull fresh leaves off of the stalk and place on an oven try. The oven should be around 350 to 400 degrees. Keep them in the oven for 5 to 10 minutes or until they are brittle. If the herbs are not freshly picked, reduce the oven temperature to 100 degrees and keep a constant eye on them so they do not burn.

Pros: This is the quickest drying process.

Cons: Unlike the previous techniques, using your oven to dry herbs is an expense. Also, this technique is very interactive.

REFRIGERATOR DRYING: Drying herbs in the refrigerator is great for small-leaved herbs like marjoram, rosemary and thyme.

Technique: Place small-leaved herbs on a plate and place in the refrigerator. For larger-leaved herbs, like basil, place leaves on a tray in the refrigerator. Check on them frequently and stir them around to avoid wilting and to ensure an even drying process. (Each type of herb has different drying times.) Once they are dry, place them into containers or freezer bags. Store them in the freezer for later use.

Pros: This cool, dry and dark climate will preserve oils and give you a minimal drying time.

Cons: This process requires spare refrigerator space. If the food in the refrigerator is not covered well, the odors will migrate to the herbs and they might taste like other foods. The opposite is true as well; food might taste like the herbs you are drying if the food is not covered well.

What’s your favorite drying technique? What technique have you had success with in the past? Leave a comment and let's chat about it.