Herbs are delicious fresh. When growing them in the garden, it’s wonderful to be able to walk outside and get whatever herb I need when preparing food in the kitchen. Preserving your herbs, is a great way to enjoy quality herbs at home anytime of year. Learning how to dry and preserve herbs is a great way to save money, live sustainably and take advantage of the quality herbs in your garden.

HANGING YOUR HERBS TO DRY

Hanging herbs is the most common way to dry herbs. Twine Common herbs harvesting on a stem include: rosemary, thyme, parsley, cilantro, and oregano. There are many others out there, but these are probably the most common.

In small bunches, tie some twine or jute cord around the base of the stems. Hang your herbs in a dark, cool and dry room. If you do not have a dark room available, wrap your herbs in newspaper or a paper back to protect them from the light.

Herbs can take a few weeks to become fully dried. However, this will vary depending on humidity level and temperature. Check on them once a week until they are fully dried.

LAYING OUT HERBS TO DRY

Many herbs are not capable of being hung to dry. For instance herbs where you harvest the leaves, such as basil,need to be laid out to dry. Flowers, such at chamomile, also need to be laid out to dry. This requires counter-space for weeks at a time.

If you have the space, lay out your leaves on a tea towel or paper towel.You can then cover your leaves with another tea towel or paper towel. This will prevent any dust from falling on your herbs.

Allow your leaves and flowers to dry over a few weeks. Again, the length of time it takes to dry will depend on your temperature and humidity level. Check on them weekly until fully dried.

DRYING YOUR HERBS IN A DEHYDRATOR

If you don’t have the space for hanging or laying out your herbs,Dehydrator Most herbs can be dried at a temperature of 95-115 degrees Fahrenheit.Humid areas may need a bit higher temperature, sitting around 125 degrees Fahrenheit.

STORING DRIED HERBS

Dried herbs store best in glass containers. Mason jars can work great is you have a lot of herbs to store. Otherwise, Small glass jars for storage I store mine in both. The small glass containers go in the kitchen and mason jar storage goes into the pantry.

Herbs should be kept in a cool and dry location, away from the light.Dried herbs can be kept indefinitely. Although, like anything else, dried herbs lose their nutrients and flavor the longer they sit in storage