Of leaves, choose only such as are green, and full of juice; pick them carefully, and cast away such as are any way declining
– Nicholas Culpeper -The Complete Herbal -1653
When you dry your homegrown herbs, you can use them not only for cooking, herbal teas, or medicinal purposes, but also to make all kinds of fragrance items – such as sachets, potpourri, and bath and body products.
There are several methods for drying, including air drying by hanging or spreading on racks, and drying in a dehydrator, microwave or oven.
Although each method has its merits, I prefer oven-drying. It is simple, fairly quick, and you don’t need any special equipment. Just spread the herbs in a single layer on a cookie sheet, set your oven to the lowest temperature available, and leave the oven door slightly ajar (you can prop it with a wooden spoon if it won’t stay open on its own). Check progress often, stirring the herbs around about every fifteen minutes. The finished product should be dry and crisp; once they are cool, you can easily crumble them with your fingers. Drying time will vary according to the variety and size of herb and your oven temperature.
I’ve just finished drying a batch of basil. I will probably use it as a food seasoning, but the smell is also delicious. This took about one hour and ten minutes with my oven set at 170 degrees F.
I use a dehydrator that has a setting at 170 but recommends herbs at 90. But I found that drying them on the higher temperature does a better job and they dry much more quickly. I find it reassuring that you dry at that temperature too.
ReplyDeleteLooking forward to getting many more tips from your blog. I'm much better at growing herbs than I am at drying at using them (but I'm working on that!).