Do you ever feel like fresh herbs go to seed waaaay faster than you can possibly consume them? I know if I turn my back for one minute on them, I’ve got flowers. In an effort not to waste food and make the most out of everything I grow, I have started drying most of my fresh grown herbs. It’s crazy easy and they store all year long with a lot more flavor than the stuff you get in the grocery store.
I try to keep drying simple. First, I harvest them. During the height of growing season, I usually snip of the entire stem to encourage the plant to keep producing. Then, I slide my thumb and pointer finger along the stem, pushing the leaves into a bowl.
As growing slows in the fall, I usually pick just the usable portion of the herb {almost always the leaf}. If you want, you can trim the entire stem and then pull off the leaves. Then, I bring them inside and wash them in the salad spinner. I like to give them a rinse, but want them to get mostly dry when I’m done.
After they have been washed, I do one of two things: I either lay them out on a cookie sheet or I get out the dehydrator. The cookie sheet method requires only a cookie sheet. You can use your oven {lowest possible temp for 2-3 hours}, but I typically use the sun and hot weather. I lay them out flat and set them outside to dry. I like this method because they dry pretty slowly, which I think retains their flavor a wee bit better. 
If it is breezy, or just not that hot outside, I lay the herbs out flat on my dehydrator and dry them until they nice and crunchy to the touch.
If you want to go way old school, you can clip the stems and bundle them with a rubberband or twine, then hang them upside down in a place that is warm and dry. This method makes you look pretty legit, though, sometimes the bundles retain too much moisture and you get mold before they are dry. You’ve been warned.
When the herbs are completely dry, I like to get out my coffee grinder and pulse small batches of herbs through the grinder. It makes a little more recipe friendly. In between each type of herb, I usually clean my coffee grinder, just so that the flavors don’t co-mingle. I dump the dried and lightly pulsed herbs into small mason jars and then store them in the pantry or cupboard. They will store for about a year, and the flavor is so much more intense than anything you can get in the stores.
Do you dry your herbs? What is your preferred method?
~Mavis
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Jonell Harrison says
I’m so lovin’ the content of this first post I just read- what is your policy re a blogger sharing your blog post?
Mavis says
Share away as long as full credit is given in the form of a linkback. Thanks!
Jonell Harrison says
oops I forgot: YES, I definitely do dry herbs…I am continually discovering new ways to use my herbs. Have not done any in my dehydrator recently but I use whatever drying works best..I never buy potpourris anymore either I just use naturally ‘leavings’ from flowers and herbs..cannot get more simple than this.
Deborah from FL says
I do the dehydrator/grinder/mason jar thing. 🙂
This year I added Lemon Balm and Stevia with visions of tea in my future.
I like those Ball Herb Jar Shaker Lids for things like crushed pepper flakes, but the holes are way too big for my Italian herbs. I wish they’d make one with smaller holes.
Rebecca says
I, too, like to use my dehydrator to dry my fresh herbs. I mainly grow parsley, basil, and tarragon. I have found that all of these retain their flavor for at least a year once dried. They also make nice gifts for your foodie friends.
Mavis says
I love the gift angle! I’d take dried herbs as a gift any day!
Emily says
I’ve dried herbs a few times in the fridge. Wash and dry per your instructions. Then place in a paper lunch bag in the back of the fridge. Forget about it for a few weeks and then check periodically until herbs are dry and crunchy. I save and wash the dark glass bottles yeast comes in for storage to protect from light.
I like to use my “low cost salad spinner,” ie put your wet herbs in a pillow case and spin over your head outside for the drying after washing. It also folds flat for storage. With your neighbors, I think this would be a backyard activity.
Teresa says
#1. Yes dried herb in he dehydrator. Simple.
#2. Yes fall is my favorite time of year. Warm days, cool nights.
#3. Toilet lid (just got to that blog) always down. Ever since my niece Melissa dropped her glasses in there and we had to use a coat hanger to get then out of the ‘bend’!! I had never seen the Dirty Jobs episode showing why the black light. OMG! Cootie-ville!
MerryMouse says
This summer I used the dashboard of my car to dry sunflower seeds and herbs. Just laid them out on a tray and the sun did the rest. Free! That’s a good thing. Gets about 140 degrees which is a little higher than my dehydrator.
Joy says
I dry my herbs in the micro wave. It only takes a 1minute. I also freeze some. Basil, parley, dill are
best ones to freeze. I do dry some of these also to make Italian spices.
connie says
I live in the desert where it is easy to dry herbs due to low humidity. I cut mine, wash and lay on drying baskets, tea towels, etc. Once they are dry I strip the leaves off the stems and put in mason jars. Leave whole, or use spoon to crush into smaller pieces. Most of the time, I do not need a fine powder in the cooking (thinking basil, oregano , thyme, parsley, lemon balm). Rosemary I do chop roughly before using.
Herbs are so easy to grow and store. I have found little “microclimates” in my yards where they overwinter and thrive. I save parsley seed to replant and grow a big container of basil every year and dry part and make part into pesto and freeze. My hedge in the back is rosemary. Warning that oregano is very invasive and will take over ! Same with garlic chives. Pick the pretty flowers before they set seed.