Herbs and How to Dry them

     ​If you’ve never had fresh, homegrown herbs, I strongly encourage you to grow some. Most  are super easy, and relatively maintenance free. The bulk of mine are perennials, meaning they come back year to year, making it easier for me to put more time and energy into my needy plants, like the tomatoes and celery. 

     The year we moved here and I started the garden, I think we spent less than $20 on herbs. Thyme, sage, rosemary, oregano, spearmint, and bee balm. I also had some seeds for dill, basil and cilantro. We gained that back, easily by the second year. In fact, we have so much this year that I’m considering creating spice mixes for Christmas gifts. 

     ​Once your herbs take off, they will produce more than you can imagine.  What to do with all that extra? Well, you could leave it on the plant, nothing gained, nothing lost, OR, you could dry them and quit buying it from the store. Why not, right? Not only will you have a fresher, more flavorful product, (they sit on the shelves for years!) you will be saving money. 

     ​Drying your own herbs is super easy. It can be done in the oven, dehydrator or just a dark corner. I started out, by necessity, using a dark corner. I could have used the oven, but I’ve heard heating them too high degrades the flavor. Not to mention it's summer and I avoid turning the oven on if at all possible. 

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  hanging herbs to dry:

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• Cut your herbs. The rule of thumb is- don’t take more than 1/3 of the stalk or branch, and no more than 1/3 of the total plant. I’ve done more, with varying degrees of success. Plants that grow like weeds, i.e) mint, don’t mind how much you take of them, but more woody plants, like thyme and rosemary, take a long time to recover if you take too much. 

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• Strip the lower leaves, revealing about one inch of the branch or stalk for tying around. You can, at this point, gently rinse your herbs, but I don’t recommend it. If any leaves look dirty, but don’t come clean with a gentle wipe, toss them. Rinsing increases the moisture levels, which can lead to mold, or rot while drying. 

• Create bunches with your herbs. Keep in mind, the more in the bunch, the longer it will take to dry and the more likely you are to encounter mold or rot. High moisture, or larger leafed plants should be placed in smaller bunches. 

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• Tie the bunches off with string. I like to use cotton, sometimes called crochet thread. It’s thin, but fairly strong, and I can find it relatively cheap. I try to tie several bunches on to the same string, approximately the length of the herb apart, to save on space. 

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• I tie my herbs to a board spanning several ceiling panels, but I doubt you can do the same. There are a number of ways to creatively hang your herbs. Whichever you choose, make sure to hang them in an area without direct sun. The sun, like the oven can negatively affect flavor.  

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• Once your herbs are dry and crunchy, take them down and store them in an airtight container. You may have to use a pair of clean scissors, or a food processor, to shred some herbs in to the size you’re used to. I find sage doesn’t like to crumble nicely. 

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​Simple as that. If you’re worried about dust accumulation, you can tie your herbs up inside paper bags. Personally, I don’t see the need.  One final word of advice… A lot of herbs look alike once they are dry. Make sure you know which herb is which, even if you have to label the bunch.  You don’t want to accidentally put mint in with your basil!