Drying herbs through the high season is a great way to take advantage of the abundance and have homegrown herbs on hand all year. Growing and drying your own herbs is incredibly cost-effective. A .6-ounce jar of organic dried basil is nearly $5 at the grocery store!
For the best taste and texture, it’s recommended to dry herbs earlier in the season, before they bloom and start going to seed. But for most of us, we aren’t in the harvest/drying mindset until later in the growing season.
So, if you haven’t dried any herbs yet, don’t worry! Now is as good a time as ever to stock your pantry. Here are five tips for a successful harvest.
1. Harvest in the Morning
Make sure you are harvesting at the right time of day to maximize the flavor of your dried herbs. Harvest herbs in the morning, after the dew has dried. Clip the younger, more tender growth from the plants.
2. Wash Your Harvested Herbs
Wash herbs after harvesting. Soak in cold water briefly to perk them up and clean off any dirt/insects. Pat them dry with a lint-free towel, but stay mindful not to bruise/damage the herbs when doing so. Discard any damaged or bug-eaten areas.
3. Use a Dehydrator
If using a food dehydrator for drying herbs, you’ll want to dry herbs on the lowest temperature the dehydrator will go, ideally 95 to 110°F.
Dry herbs in a single layer. Drying time varies by location and humidity in the air but will take several hours. Check occasionally to determine when done.
Put like-sized leaves/cuttings together since they will dry faster, and it’ll be easy to remove them as they become dry and leave the larger ones to continue drying.
4. Air Drying Herbs
If air-drying herbs, create small bundles of like kind to hang upside down. Hang out of direct sunlight. This method of drying will take several days. A location with airflow is ideal.
5. Dry Completely
Make sure to dry herbs completely until the leaves easily crumble and stems easily snap. This will help to prevent mold. Store in airtight containers/jars out of direct sunlight.
This article about five tips for drying herbs was written for Hobby Farms magazine. Click here to subscribe.
