Drying Herbs
Today I decided to dry oregano, parsley, tarragon and thyme. It all looked so lush after last nights rain. There are many ways to dry herbs but I will tell you a couple of ways I dry them. Use this technique with all herbs such as; dill, mint, basil, parsley, tarragon, thyme, oregano and rosemary. Cut the herbs you want to dry, rinse with water and shake dry. Bundle each variety separately. If you’re doing a large bunch divide into two bundles. Tie each bundle with twine or kitchen string and hang to dry. I found that hanging them in direct sunlight fades the herbs and flavor in a couple of days. It did when I tried it in the greenhouse. Too hot and too fast! Had to throw them away. I have hung them on the cupboard knobs in the kitchen. You could hang them from a small hook under your cabinets or just about any dry place. They look pretty in the kitchen. Oh yes, let me tell you, I was at a nursery the other day and a yellow jacket flew up my shirt and stung me on the stomach! Ouch! Seriously? Who wants a tennis ball size swollen area on their stomach!
Drying herbs depends on the weather and humidity in the length of drying time. Check them every few days, they should be very dry and crumble easily when rubbed together. Sometimes when I pick herbs and have a little bit leftover I will dry a small amount in the oven. I spread the herbs on a cookie sheet and put them in the oven. They are out of the way, won’t get dusty and it’s a warm dry environment. Do not turn on the oven and forget about them. I take them out before I use the oven and put them back in when I’m done. The oven does not have to be completely cool but it should not be hot.
Once herbs are dry and crumble easily it’s time to store them. Crumble the herbs onto a cookie sheet leaving behind the stems and the string (of course). Some herbs I will leave on the stem such as thyme and rosemary, it’s easy to throw a sprig of dried thyme in a soup or stew and when finished remove the sprig before serving. Ha, I usually leave it in and when someone gets it they are surprised! Place the crumbled herbs in a labeled container, store in a dark cabinet. The experts always say to throw your herbs out every year and buy new. The flavor does fade and when you are drying your own they’re very fresh and inexpensive. Otherwise, herbs can be quite pricey in the store.
