How to Dry Herbs

If you want to create herbal medicines, soaps, teas or tasty seasoning blends for your favorite dishes from herbs you grow yourself, you will need to know how to dry herbs. It isn't a difficult skill to master. Just follow this easy guide and you'll be an expert in no time.

Drying Lavender

Before you can dry your fresh herbs, you will first need to harvest them. Wait until they are at their peak, typically during early morning hours. Cut them when still damp with dew and before the sun has caused them to droop. Generally, herbs will be at their best flavor just before flowering.

Annual herbs, such as anise, basil, dill or summer savory, are usually cut at ground level. Perennial herbs including mint, chives, fennel or tarragon are normally cut about a third of the way down, gathering the main stem along with the side branches.

After harvesting, herbs need to be gently washed under cold running water and hung upside down in the sun to dry. You can then remove the leaves and flowers if desired.

Once your herbs have been prepared, they are ready to dry. There is more than one method for effectively drying herbs.

For herbs that have high moisture content, hang whole herbs upside down in bunches in a dark, warm, well-ventilated area in a paper bag. The temperature should be kept between 70 and 80 degrees. Leaves will be dry in about one to two weeks.

If you have already removed the leaves and flowers during prep, you can spread them on a screen or cheesecloth. Again, you will want them in a dark, warm area until they have dried completely.

You can also dry your herbs in an oven. This is sometimes preferred because it is faster. It also protects your herbs from dirt and bugs. To do this. spread leaves on a cookie sheet and place in your oven set at 180 degrees. It should take two to four hours herbs to completely dry, but check them periodically to prevent under or over drying.

An even faster way of drying herbs is to spread them on a paper plate and microwave them. Keep in mind, you don't want to cook the herbs, just dry them for storage and future use. They should only be microwaved for one to three minutes. Be sure to stop the microwave and stir the herbs around every 30 seconds until they are properly dried.

Once you have learned how to dry herbs, proper storage is important. Some herbalists crumble the herbs after drying and then store them. However many others feel that this causes them to degrade faster and recommend keeping them whole until ready to use. You can try both ways if you like, and see what works best for your needs. Seeds, however, should always be stored whole and crushed just prior to use.

Dried leaves need to be stored in air tight containers. Canning jars are a good way to store them. Opaque jars are even better because they do not allow sunlight to degrade the herbs. Wood, paper or plastic containers are not recommended because they can absorb the oils and scent of the herbs stored in them.

Properly stored, herbs stay clean and dry for many months, waiting for you to use them in teas, cooking or homemade remedies. Whole herbs are said to last for up to a year and ground herbs last for three to six months.

When you first place herbs into jars, check them every day for about a week to make sure there is no moisture remaining that may cause mold. Moisture will form on the inside of closed jars if the herbs are not thoroughly dried. If you see moisture, immediately remove the herbs and go back to the drying method that used prior to storage. When they are completely dry, store your herbs in a cool, dry, dark place.

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