If you know how to dry your own herbs, you might be able to use your herb garden even more. Dried herbs can be used to make seasoning blends, soaps, teas, and herbal treatments, and their quality can be maintained for six to twelve months when stored appropriately. It doesn’t matter if you have a lot of leaves or just a few; there are different ways to dry herbs.
Harvest Your Herbs
Annual herbs like anise, basil, dill, and summer savory are examples that are frequently cut at ground level. Examples of perennial herbs that are commonly cut about a third of the way down, gathering the main stem and the side branches, are mint, chives, fennel, and tarragon.
The majority of herbs ought to be gathered before they bloom. Mint and basil are the exceptions; these plants are frequently permitted to blossom so they can generate seeds. However, this will reduce their flavor, so it’s preferable to trim them back before they have a chance to go to seed.
Herbs that are grown above ground should be collected right before or as soon as they start to bloom. The leaves will turn harsh and bitter if you wait too long because of sunshine exposure.
To prevent self-pollination, some herbs, including parsley and cilantro, are actually plucked before they flower (which can result in a bitter flavor). If there are no flowers on the stems yet, you can prevent them from blossoming into full bloom until you’re ready to harvest by trimming off their top leaves about an inch above the roots.
Prepare the Herbs for Drying
If you’re looking for an easy way to preserve the flavor of fresh herbs, drying them is an easy way to do it.
Here are some tips for getting the most out of your dried herbs:
- Make sure the herbs are clean and dry before you start. Carefully wash them with cold water, then pat them dry with a paper towel.
- Don’t use any stems when you’re drying herbs—just leaves and flowers! The stems will pull moisture out of the leaves, which will make them bitter when they’re dried.
- If your herbs are small enough, you can use a food dehydrator (which is what we recommend). If they’re larger than 1/2 inch in diameter, use an oven instead (see step 4).
- Preheat your oven to 140 degrees F (60 C). Put your herbs on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or aluminum foil; don’t use waxed paper because it won’t allow heat to get through evenly enough to dry out the herbs evenly throughout each piece without burning them at the edges or bottom first! Drying times vary based on what kind of herb you’re using (herbs with thicker stems will take longer).
How to Dry Herbs with a Dehydrator
Here’s how you can dry your favorite herbs at home with a dehydrator.
Step 1: Wash and cut your herbs
Your herbs should first be washed before being cut into little (approximately 1/4 inch) pieces. This will facilitate speedier drying and give you greater control over the finished product’s texture.
Step 2: Spread out on trays
Don’t crowd your herbs when you spread them out on trays or sheets. To prevent things from getting too crowded, you can use additional trays or sheets to create various degrees of drying area for various kinds of leaves and flowers.
Step 3: Dry in a dehydrator
Now that everything is spread out, it’s time to put them in the dehydrator! You’ll want to set it between 95°F and 115°F for about three hours until they’re dry—but watch closely so they don’t burn! Once they’re done, take them out and store them in an airtight container until you’re ready to cook with them again!
How to Store Dried Herbs
Dried herbs smell wonderful, but if you don’t store them properly, they can rapidly lose their essence. To ensure that your dried herbs stay fresh for as long as possible, store them as follows:
Look for a container with a lid that is airtight. You don’t need anything fancy, but you do need something that will keep moisture and air separate. Use anything opaque, such as a glass or plastic container, or even simply a plastic baggie! If there is room in your cabinet, consider keeping your dried herbs in jars on a separate shelf.
In the container or baggie, put your dried herbs, and then close them tightly to prevent anything from leaking out. If there isn’t much water left over from when they were fresh, you might want to add some to keep them moist and lovely. Just make sure the container you select has enough space for everyone to fit comfortably without becoming overly crowded.
Your herbs will stay fresh for a longer period of time if you store this container somewhere cold and dark.
Best Herbs to Dry
The best herbs for drying are, first and foremost, those with long stems and huge leaves. The stem will hold up better in storage the longer it is. Additionally, a leaf’s surface area for moisture loss increases with size. Basil and mint are the best options since they have long stems that are simple to put up and large enough leaves to effectively retain moisture.
The drying speeds of various herbs should also be noted. If you’re drying a bunch of one herb and a few sprigs of another, put them into separate containers if you can because they will dry at various rates. For example, parsley dries rapidly, while oregano takes longer. To ensure that all of your herbs have enough room for air circulation when drying, avoid overfilling any container if at all feasible.
Using Dried Herbs for Cooking
Dried herbs are a great way to add flavor to your cooking. They’re also ideal for those who don’t have a lot of time to cook because they can be stored for months on end and used at will.
The best way to use dried herbs is to combine them with other ingredients as you’re cooking. For example, if you’re making soup, simmer the soup for twenty minutes after adding the herbs, then remove them before serving. If you want to add more flavor to your dish, add extra salt and pepper before serving as well.
Dried herbs are also a great way to add freshness when cooking meats that need more than an hour in the oven. You’ll need to use about half as much dried herb as fresh herb (so if it’s one tablespoon of fresh, use one teaspoon of dried).