How To Dry Herbs
An herb garden is a reflection of beauty and is intricately tied to food and family, it seems a good day to talk about an herb garden and drying herbs. One of the most rewarding and special places in my garden has been the little herb garden I built a few seasons ago. It has been filled with Rosemary, Thyme, Oregano, Basil, Sage, Lavender, and is mixed in with perennials and annuals. It has given me a lot of joy. I have experimented with cooking the herbs, but really, the joy has come from the immeasurably wonderful smells that lift to my nose every time I brush by. To keep the herb love moving forward, I am going to dry them for winter.
HOW TO DRY HERBS
Step 1 – Cut off the tops of the leafy varieties and wash gently with cold water. Air Dry.
Step 2 – Tie stem bases together. Place in a paper bag with stem ends at the opening and close the bag with a rubber band.
Step 3 – Feed a paper clip through the rubber band and hook the clip on a string or line where you are going to hang the herbs indoors to dry.
Step 4 – Wait. Patiently for about a month.
Step 5 – Remove herbs from paper bags, crumble leaves, place on a shallow pan, and dry out in the oven with the setting at “warm” or lower than 100 degrees until completely dry.
Step 6 – Store herbs in glass jars or other airtight containers in a cool place.
What do you do with your herbs? Leave a comment and let me know if you dry herbs and how you use those dried herbs at the end of the season. Happy Fall!
Your instructions are great. Unfortunately, I never get to the bottle them stage. I retrieve the herbs when I need them from the bags. Do I need some discipline here?
Sure easier just to leave them in the bags, right? 🙂
Your herb garden looks beautiful, Shawna!
I have a small herb garden right off my back porch, and while I use some of them for cooking, like you, I just enjoy the wonderful smells. Planted beside an old honeysuckle vine, there is just nothing better than going out in the early morning hours while the dew is still on the ground, and taking in all that “loveliness”.