Drying Herbs

When you want to start drying herbs, collecting them is quite easy. A simple snip or cut and it is done. 

Drying herbs can however be a problem if you do not know how to do it. If you take into consideration that a herb is just like any other plant it is easier to understand how to treat them.

Firstly get together the herbs you are going to dry. It is best to cut longer stems than too many short ones. You must then find a well ventillated area and hang the herbs upside down, making they are not in any direct bright sunlight. 

Although the sunlight is great for making the herbs grow, the light can cause the herbs to lose some of their potency when drying out.

When you have cut four or five long (about eight to ten inched) stems off your herb plant, you need to give them a few gentle shakes, this is just to make sure that there are no insects in or on the leaves or branches.

Then strip off any dead or diseased leaves, also strip about the last three inches of the stem. You then need to tie the cuttings together at the bare end.  You can use string or even a rubber band. 

After you have tied the herbs into bundles, insert them into a brown paper bag which you have cut holes into for ventilation. Tie the end of the bag shut with the bare branches sticking out.  You can then hang the entire package upside down by the same string you tied everything together with. Keep a close eye on the herbs as they dry.  You do not want them to become moldy.  Once they are completely dried, you can prepare them for storage. This can take a week or two. Just be patient.

You can also air dry the herbs. Air drying is fairly easy to do by simply spreading the leaves of the herbs onto screens so the air can penetrate both sides of the leaf. This will allow the herbs to dry uniformly.  It is best to use one screen for each type of herb.  You do not want to risk drying your peppermint with the oregano.  This could result in some rather strange tasting Italian dishes!

Do not make the mistake of thinking you will not use that much. In the summer when you have a good supply of fresh herbs, you may not realize how much of the herb you use.  This is because the plant is constantly growing and replenishing your supply.

Dried herbs are stronger than the fresh ones, this is because fresh herbs contain water. The dried herbs contain a more concentrated essential oil. You will find you do not need to use as much of the dried herbs to get the same flavors. Yet with the ability to store your own herbs, you might want to make sure you have enough until next spring.

There is a misconception that herbs can be oven dried or heated to force dry them. This is not the best way to dry your herbs. The heat can actually release the essential oils which give the herbs their wonderful aroma and flavor. It makes no sense to use a drying system which will prematurely release the very thing which makes the herbs so desirable. 

An important point to remember from all of this is to make sure the herbs are kept in a warm, dry, and ventilated area while you are waiting for them to dry.