Drying or saving herbs

[Yatte]

My herb production season is something out of the ordinary, for we had lots of rain and some very hot days.

I want to dry my herbs to save them for the coming winter. after many A calculation I found that growing your own herbs is more cost efficient than buying them, and the sense of accomplishment that goes with every crop is just out of this world.

I need some advise on drying my herbs and keeping them, for the technique I am using is going bottoms up at every attempt.

I considered freezing my herbs before, and did a test run, but they just seem to get frostbite and loose their flavor.

 

[mrsbatista]

Yatte, this is so similar to questions that I have. Store bought herbs can be really pricey, especially if you do a lot of cooking. I hope that someone has great advice on this topic. Because I have been having a hard time storing my fresh herbs.

 

[Knowthman]

From my own experience, I have had such fun drying and preparing herbs from the garden to use in the kitchen! The sense of self achievement when you cook with your own herbs, is so fulfilling. Have you ever seen these magazines with these beautiful country homes and in the kitchen they have bunches of herbs hanging around the kitchen. That is one of the ways to dry your herbs. Pick a bunch of your favourite herb like lavender or rosemary. Rinse the herbs off in the kitchen and pat them down with a paper towel to dry. Tie your bunch together like a bouquet of flowers with string. Find a warm location in your house to hang them upside down, with no direct sunlight. It will take about a couple of weeks to dry. You can keep the leaves whole or you can crush them in your fingers to make a really fine ground mix for cooking or leave them in leaf shape for tea, garnishes on soups, etc. I am famous for my dried chilli's as when they were dried and guests grabbed them, they couldn't believe how potent they were. There are probably many ways to dry your herbs, this is the way I do mine and of course would always love to learn new methods.

 

[EmberxDoll]

I haven't gotten a chance to try this out myself, but I have watched successful videos of this technique. It is really simple, so I believe I will do it when the time comes. You just harvest your herbs, wash them, then pat them with paper towels. Then if you wish you can move them to dry paper towels, space the leaves out, and allow them to dry that way. They of course would have to stay in open area inside. Though if you want to keep anything in bunches, following knowthman's process would be best.

 

[happyflowerlady]

I used to have an abundance of oregano, it just kept spreading, and I was transplanting it around the yard. I cut it just when it started to make buds, and laid it on a screen in the shady area to dry.
It was summer, and only took a day or two. Once it was dry, I held it over a large bowl and stripped the leaves off of the stems. Then I put them into the food processor, a handful at a time to chop the leaves , and stored them in jars.
If you harvest before they blossom, you will get at least two cuttings a year, maybe more if you are in a warmer climate. I was living in north Idaho at the time, and it was a short growing season.

 

[ACSAPA]

I saw a tip on Pinterest for drying herbs in the oven on very low heat, but it's the summer and I'm reluctant to heat up the house by turning on the oven so I guess I'll try hanging them upside down.

 

[dim]

I eat lots of oregano ... pick bunches .... tie them and hang them upside down

2 weeks later, it can be stipped and crushed in the palm of your hand, then bottled

 

[Jewell]

I use large paper grocery bags (save them from year to year). Pick the herbs after the dew has dried. Simply drop the cut herbs loosely into the paper bag. Set the bag on the frig or some place high and warm and wait until the leaves are crunchy to strip off the stems easily. Package in air tight container in a dark place to keep their color and flavor. Love having instant fresh dried Italian spices ready for the pot. Yum!

 

[ACSAPA]

I use large paper grocery bags (save them from year to year). Pick the herbs after the dew has dried. Simply drop the cut herbs loosely into the paper bag. Set the bag on the frig or some place high and warm and wait until the leaves are crunchy to strip off the stems easily. Package in air tight container in a dark place to keep their color and flavor. Love having instant fresh dried Italian spices ready for the pot. Yum!

Well that sounds like an easy way to dry herbs and I happen to have some paper grocery bags. Thank you so much for sharing this tip. I'm going to give it a try.

 

[claudine]

I love gowing herbs, mostly because it's so easy. Also, this way I can be 100% sure that they don't contain any chemicals. Honestly, I don't remember when was the last time I bought herbs at a store.
As for drying, I just hang my herbs upside down and I wait.

 

[ACSAPA]

I love gowing herbs, mostly because it's so easy. Also, this way I can be 100% sure that they don't contain any chemicals. Honestly, I don't remember when was the last time I bought herbs at a store.
As for drying, I just hang my herbs upside down and I wait.

The downside of not having chemicals is that there are pests that nibble on my herbs and anything that is poisonous to the pests would also be toxic to me.
How do you manage to keep your herbs pest free?

 

[Jed]

I also use paper bags for drying. I once built a purposed made herb drier cupboard but found the bag method was equally as good.Less mess and labelling bags makes the herbs faster to find if you want some in a hurry.
Hanging them from the ceiling can get a bit dusty and herbs are better kept in the dark.

 

[Steve Denning]

I live in the UK, which is not known for its sunny weather (although this year is the exception!). I tend to wrap my herbs in a pocket made from baking paper and then put them in the oven on a low heat for about an hour. I've also hung them upside down in the airing cupboard, but have a tendency to forget they are there, much to my wife's distress. The oven is the best bet for me!

 

[claudine]

The downside of not having chemicals is that there are pests that nibble on my herbs and anything that is poisonous to the pests would also be toxic to me.
How do you manage to keep your herbs pest free?

I guess I'm just lucky because I don't do anything special. I grow herbs indoors, in the kitchen. When they're dry, I keep them in jars.
Some time ago, my miniature roses had been attacked by some nasty pests, fortunately I managed to get rid of them before they found other plants

 

[lukeout007]

thanks for the tips! I'm going to need to dry my mint and rosemary here soon.