Four Ways to Dry Herbs

In my garden I grow quite a variety of herbs, plants and flowers that I use for cooking, medicinal concoctions and for magic.  From mugwort to thyme, from calendula to tomatoes, my family and I tend our plants from spring to fall (winter gardening in NJ tends to consist of looking at several feet of snow and sighing loudly).

Now of course, with all the great things that we grow, an important part of growing our own is preserving part of what we grow to get through the rest of the year.  For fruits and veggies, we do a lot of freezing and canning.  For herbs, we dry.   There are several ways to dry herbs, your choice will depend on what type of herb you have, whether you want to dry the stems or not, the amount of time you want to invest, and a bit on how much room you have to devote to the drying process.

Before you start to dry any herbs, be sure to carefully wash the herbs and press them between layers of paper towel or clean, dry cloths to get them very dry. If you're only drying leaves, a salad spinner works fairly well for this step.

Cool Oven Method
This method is good for drying leaves, especially of more delicate herbs that don't generally last long once they've been picked (basil is a great example).  It's a fairly quick method of drying.
Preheat your oven to 180° F and let heat for 20 minutes. While the oven is heating, layer the herbs onto a paper towel lined cookie sheet, with the leaves not touching.  You can add up to 5 layers of paper towels and herbs per cookie sheet.  After the 20 minute heat, turn the oven off, add the cookie sheet/s to the oven and allow it to sit overnight.  In the morning, check the herbs.  If they are not completely dry, repeat the process.

Air Dry Method
This method is good for plants with woodier stems (such as thyme or mugwort) or plants that you'd like to dry for decorative purposes (lavender or roses). This method of drying takes the longest.
Gather the stems of the plants (generally no more than you can close your hand around) and bind the stems together with a rubber band.  Use string to hand the plants upside down in a cool, shaded spot until dry.  When fully dried, strip the leaves from the stems to store or leave whole for decorative use.

Food Dehydrator Method
This method can be used for any leafy herbs.  Most herbs take only a day or two to dry completely. The biggest inconvenience is finding a place to keep the dehydrator both while it's being used and while you are storing it.
Simply layer washed and dried herbs in a single layer on dehydrator trays and follow the manufacture's instructions.

Microwave Method
This method is especially effective for something you might need right away - say a bit of dried orange peel for a mojo bag to bring joy.
Layer washed and dried herbs in a single layer between paper towels.  Microwave on high for 30 seconds, then check herbs.  It they aren't quite crispy and dried, heat for another 15 seconds at a time (checking in between) until completely dry.

When completely dry, store herbs in a glass jar with a lid, away from light and heat. Stored properly, most herbs can be used for up to a year.


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