Showing posts with label drying herbs simply. Show all posts
Showing posts with label drying herbs simply. Show all posts

Friday, August 12, 2011

Drying Herbs

Ok...I am not an expert in this subject, and I am just going to say here what works for me when I dry herbs. Like many of the things I do...if its not fast and effective, chances are I will not stick with the program! So...here is what I do to dry herbs. Not including drying time, this should only take you a few minutes!

#1 Select the herb you want to dry for future use. If possible, make sure it is not right after it has rained, as this diminishes the oils and flavor.
#2 Anytime after the dew is dry, cut a good handful of the herbs, making sure to shake all the dirt or sand off them, if they are low to the ground.
#3 Bring them inside, and place them one layer thick on...anything handy that you wont need for a week or so. A plate, paper bag, etc.
#4 Put it up on top of the fridge or cupboard. Forget about it for about a week, or until they are brittle. I have left them up there for a month when I totally forgot they were up there. They didn't go anywhere, and were fine! If you leave them too long, they will lose their flavor, though.
#5 With clean hands, roll the herbs in your hands to break them into small pieces, discarding the stems. I do this over a paper plate or something flexible to I can just curl it into a taco shape to scoot the herbs into their next home, which will be...
#6 ...an airtight container. Vital! I had a friend who did steps 1-6 but didn't know about the airtight container. I asked to use some of her oregano that she had processed and it had no flavor whatsoever...but she had kept it in a jar with no lid. We both learned from it.