How to Dry Herbs

Drying herbs is a simple and effective way to preserve cooking and crafting. Many herbs can be dried, you can dry the leaves, flowers or stems. Drying herbs helps retain their flavor. Based on your own understanding, choose the right herbs, at the right time and store them well.

Table of Contents

Choose herbs to dry

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Choose herbs. Herbs with thick, oily leaves are easier to dry. However, most herbs can be dried. Repeated testing is the best way to determine the right herb, some herbs will shrivel and brown when dry, while others retain their color and texture.

Herbs with thick leaves are the easiest to dry. Includes bay leaf, rosemary, thyme and sage. Dried bay leaves or rosemary mostly retain their original color and shape.

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Large, soft-leaved varieties are a bit more complicated to dry as they are easily affected by moisture and mold if not dried properly. These herb varieties include basil, parsley, mint, tarragon, and lemon balm. They need to be dried quickly to avoid mildew.

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Pick herbs to dry before they bloom. You will see a lot of buds signaling that the plant is about to bloom. This is the best time to harvest herbs, pick after the dew clears and before the sun evaporates the essential oils in the herbs. Early morning is usually the right time, but consider the characteristics of where you live to determine the right time.

There’s a lot of advice that plants should be harvested before they bloom, but it’s worth trying. Sometimes it is better to harvest after the flowers bloom. This depends on which form of the herb allows the best appearance and flavor to be preserved. And if you want to dry the flowers, then you have to wait for the plant to bloom first.

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Prepare for drying as soon as you pick the herb. Herbs will be best preserved if they are handled immediately. If left for a long time, the plant will absorb moisture and dust, which affects the taste, color and shape.

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Rinse herbs if necessary. Some herbs need to be cleaned first, then weeds or moss are removed. You can rinse the herb gently with cool water, then flick it gently to remove any moisture.

Remove deep, dark leaves.

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Quick drying for food preparation

This method works with prepared (and cleaned) herbs and not with dried herbs. You should do this half an hour before cooking to give enough time to dry the herbs.

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Choose herbs for cooking.

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Place the towel to dry on a flat surface. A kitchen table or sink is a good place.

Also you can use a dish drying rack. Place the dry towel on the rack, this allows air to circulate more easily.

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Wash herbs gently. Turn on the faucet lightly to avoid bruising or bruising the herb. Wash herbs in a basin of water, or under running water. Finally, flick lightly to remove as much water as possible.

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Place each herb sprig on the towel. Cross each other if you have more than one towel and avoid overlapping the herbs.

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Dry in the oven on warm heat. Tap to check if the herb is dry. If the herb is dry enough, use it to prepare the dish.

Dry in the sun or outside

This is the least used method because it will cause the herb to discolor and lose its flavor. This can be useful if it’s just for decoration.

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Pick herbs when the dew clears.

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Tie into bundles with rubber bands. Let the leaves and flowers slope downwards.

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Hang a bunch of herbs on the porch or somewhere in the sun. Leave them there for a few days until the herbs are dry.

Tie it very carefully in case of strong windy days.

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Air dry inside a paper bag. After wrapping the herbs, wrap a paper bag outside and tie it up. Hang the bag on the outside. The bag will protect the herbs from direct sunlight and will also retain the fallen seeds in case you want to use them.

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Harvest when dry. Dried herbs will be crispy and no moisture will be left.

Dry with indoor air

Indoor drying is the preferred method because it preserves the flavor, color and quality of the herbs better than the outdoor drying method. Air drying is suitable for herbs with large, soft leaves. This method is also very simple, you just need to prepare the herbs and then leave a place to wait for them to dry.

Tie herbs into 1 bunch. Tie the rubber band around the base. Let’s point all the flowers and leaves downwards.

The drying time will vary if you bundle several herbs together, so bundle each herb separately until you are experienced enough to know the drying time of each herb and bundle them together. together.

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If you are drying multiple bundles of herbs, tie the bundles to the same size so that the drying time is the same. This makes it easier to store and use dried herbs, you won’t have to wait for each bunch of herbs to dry. However, everything depends on what you use the herb for and your current needs.

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Use or not use paper bags. Paper bags can speed up the drying process and keep seeds and fallen leaves. On the other hand, if you don’t use paper bags you can use bunches of herbs to decorate your home.

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Select the appropriate hanger. All types of hangers are available including ladders, ceiling beams, coat hangers, nails, etc

Herbs can also be dried on a rack or frame. You can use a clean and decent old window frame. Position the frame so that air can circulate on both sides. If you use a frame, you will have to turn the herb over daily to avoid curling.

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Wait for the herb to dry. Herbs should be left to dry in a place without sunlight or moisture or they will spoil. The drying time will take anywhere from 5 days to several weeks, depending on the herb you are drying.

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Harvest when dry. Dried herbs will be crispy and no moisture will be left.

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Use herbs for cooking, medicinal, decorative or craft purposes. Many dried herbs are easily shed, you can use them to make herbs or make fragrant bags to keep in your closet.

Dry in the oven

Herbs can be dried in the oven and it is suitable for cooking or medicinal purposes.

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Turn on the oven and set it to the lowest temperature. To open the oven door.

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Place the selected herbs on a baking tray.

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Place the tray on the bottom floor of the oven. Start drying but remember to turn the herb over often. When the herbs begin to crisp, remove the tray from the oven.

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If using a wood-fired oven, you can place a rack above the oven, place the herbs on the rack and wait for them to dry.

Dry in the microwave

If you need instant dried herbs for manual work, this method is perfect! However, because of the toxicity of silica gel, this method is not suitable for cooking or medicinal purposes. Experiment with each herb’s microwave drying time, it’s a job that requires patience!

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Sprinkle a thin layer of silica gel into a microwaveable bowl.

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Add leaves or herbs. Spread the herb evenly and avoid touching the leaves or flowers between each branch.

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Dried herbs. Set oven to low, half normal power or defrost level. Dry for 2 minutes and let cool for 10 minutes. Check the dryness level. If the herbs are dry enough, use them. If not dry enough, dry for 1 more minute.

If drying for 2 minutes is too long and the herb is all wilted, take some other herbs and reduce the drying time to 30 seconds. Keep experimenting until the timing is right, depending on the herb.
Herbs that curl in the air (like thyme) will need less time to dry in the microwave than herbs that are difficult to air-dry.

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For craft or decorative purposes only. As noted, using silica means the herb is no longer safe to consume.

Dry using desiccant

Herbs dried in this way are for craft or decorative purposes only. Do not use this method to dry herbs for cooking or medicinal purposes.

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Choose a desiccant. Desiccant is used to absorb moisture. Herb desiccants include cornstarch, sand, aromatic orris root, borac, silica gel, and even cat litter.

Silica gel is the most popular because it’s lightweight, doesn’t damage herbs, and is easily available from the store. However, when using them, wear a mask to avoid inhaling the fumes.

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Cut herbs. Turn off when moisture has not affected the herbs or their flowers.

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Sprinkle 2.5 cm of desiccant into a glass bowl or plastic jar. Glass and plastic do not create moisture.

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Place the herb in the desiccant. Avoid letting flowers or herbs touch each other. You need space between the leaves and petals to ensure that the desiccant can get in and dry out the whole herb.

If you need to keep the shape of the petals and leaves, then when adjusting the desiccant, you also need to check and reset the taste of the herb to its original shape.
You can layer desiccant and herbs if you want, be aware that if the top is too heavy, it can damage the herbs below.

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Remove the herb from the desiccant as soon as it dries. The process only takes a few days. The desiccant will completely dry the leaves and flowers of the herb so they are a bit brittle. To remove the desiccant, use a small brush or blower so as not to damage the plant. Pick it up carefully.

Avoid over-drying as the herb may crumble when picked up.

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For craft or decorative purposes only. Herbs are not suitable for consumption.

Drying for craft purposes

Some herbs will dry easily if they are put in place, such as a flower arrangement or part of a craft project.

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Choose the right herbs for the craft. Not all herbs are dried in this way except for some such as yarrow, dill, rosemary.

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Use fresh herbs to place where you want them to be dried. For example, in a vase/bouquet with other plants arranged or added to a craft project like a wreath or plant basket.

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Place in a dry place free of moisture. Let the herb dry on its own, and check regularly. If you see signs of mold or any other problem, discard the herb.

Dry pressed

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You can get more information from the instructions on how to press leaves. Herb press can be used for decorative craft projects such as scrapbooks, framing, bookmarks and artwork.

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Complete.

Advice

Herb seeds are best dried by air-drying, which allows the seeds to fall into a paper bag and be stored in an airtight bag.
Herbs suitable for drying: Lavender (looks good for many years ); rosemary (can be kept for many years); bay leaf; hops; soft gray oregano; pink marjoram.
All crushed or wilted herbs should be stored in an airtight bag away from sunlight. For the best flavor in cooking, use the herb within 6 months of drying.
A simple drying rack can be made from a block of wood (make it nice if you like) and fitted with evenly spaced pieces of wood. Add hangers and write “herb” or draw some leaves to remember the intended use. Then hang the rack on a solid wall. Attach the herb sprigs to each piece of wood. Herbs suitable for this method are rosemary, thyme, oregano, sage, marjoram, and flower buds.
Freezing herbs is another drying method. This will keep the best flavor for cooking instead of keeping the shape.

Warning

Avoid drying herbs in a place with high humidity, like the bathroom or kitchen. If you can keep the kitchen warm and dehumidify instantly, the kitchen will be considered an exception.
Moist herbs will mold and ferment. If this happens, discard the herb.
Many herbs will shrivel, brown, and become unrecognizable after drying. The drying of herbs is an art that I have learned from many times of trial and error. Sometimes you have to choose between 1 of 3 elements of aroma, taste or appearance because it is not possible to retain all of them when drying.
High temperature will damage the herb; Avoid using too much heat when drying.
Use rubber bands instead of twine. The reason is simple – the rubber band tightens around the base of the herbs as they are dried. The twine does not, the herb can slip from the rope and fall to the ground when it is dried.
Silica gel is toxic. Keep out of reach of children and pets, keep away from its fumes when using (by wearing a mask) and do not consume any herbs that have been dried with silica gel.

Things you need

Herb
Drying equipment
Paper bag (optional)
Sealed storage jar

Steps