i got fresh basil how do I let it dry ?

Answer 1

Keep it fresh as long as possible. It is great when it is fresh. If you want to dry it put it in some ladies hose, tie it off and toss it in the dryer.

Coach

Answer 2

Short of a dehydrator (not recommended) or sun (maybe not possible where you are), the best way is to tie the leaves in a bunch and hang them in a dry but shady spot in your kitchen. You can keep an eye on them there and even use them when you need them. Just don't hang them over your stove where steam from cooking might hit them. Then when they are dry you can either put them in a jar whole or crush them and put them in a jar, but really... basil is best when it's fresh. Only dry it if you need to preserve it for cooking when no fresh basil would be available. Now oregano... that's a different story. Always better dried.

Answer 3

Basil and other soft herbs (like coriander, mint, parsley) Don't dry that well. You can as mentioned hang them upside down in bunches, but this works better with woody herbs like thyme and rosemary. However soft herbs like basil do freeze well. Chop, or blend them up into a paste, you can help this process with a little olive oil. Decant into ice cube trays and store in the freezer. You can pop a cube straight from the freezer into pasta sauces and soups, or let them defrost for salsas.

Answer 4

It's still on the stem, right? Put the stems together, tie it securely with a string and hang it upside down to dry. Keep it
out of the sunlight and check it every so often to make sure it's not molding. It should be dry in a couple of weeks. Good luck!

Answer 5

Ingredients and Equipment
fresh Basil, Tarragon, Lemon Balm or Mint - any quantity.
Oven OR a room dehumidifier
Ziploc bags, glass or plastic containers, OR Vacuum food sealer with bags

Instructions

Step 1 - What to look for
The best time to cut herbs for drying is just before they flower. This is when the leaves have the most oil, which is what gives herbs aroma and flavor. Different varieties of herbs flower at different times of the season, so look for buds or newly opened flowers as your clue for harvesting. But, if your herbs have already flowered, they can still be harvested and dried. It' slightly better to cut herbs in mid-morning when the leaves are dry but before the hot midday sun, but early evening is also good!

Step 3 - Cut the herbs
Use a sharp knife or scissors to cut large stems or branches from mature plants. Gently shake each branch to remove insects. Examine each branch and remove old, damaged or diseased leaves.

Step 4 - Rinse and dry the herbs
Rinse each branch in cold water and dry with towels or paper towels to remove all visible water. Wet herbs tend to mold which destroys the whole bunch.

Lay the leaves on a paper towel, single layer without allowing leaves to touch. Cover with another towel and another layer of leaves. Five layers may be dried at one time using this method.

Step 5 - Option 1: Oven dry
As mentioned earlier, basil, tarragon, lemon balm and mints have high moisture content and will mold if not dried quickly.

Dry in a very cool oven (high temperatures will result in tasteless herbs). Baically, just turn the oven on to "warm" (150 to 200 F) for 20 minutes, then turn it off and pop in the herbs.

Step 5 - Option 2: in front of a dehumidifier
If you have a dehumidifier, I have found that spreading the branches loosely on a cake cooling rack (which allows the air to circulate) and placing this by the outlet from the dehumidifier, where the warm and very dry air exits the dehumidifier works great, and much faster!

Step 6 - Dry the herbs
Leave undisturbed overnight and check them in the morning. I find that they dry out in a day or two, as long as they are not piled on top of each other. If you are using the oven method, juts turn it on to "warm" again for another 10 or 15 minutes twice per day.

As the leaves are dry, check for any signs of mold growth. Toss the entire bunch if it becomes moldy and try again.

Step 7 - Separate the leaves from the stems
Strip dried leaves from stems and discard the stems. Crush the leaves if desired, but whole herbs retain their flavor longer than crushed, ground or rubbed herbs. I wait until I use the herbs later, to crush them.

Step 8 - Storing the herbs
Store dried herbs in small airtight containers away from the light. Zip closure plastic bags, colored bailing wire jars and ceramic crocks can be used for storage. My preference is FoodSaver vacuum bags - it removes all the air, so the dried herbs retain more of their flavor.

Be sure to label and date each container.

Store herbs in a cool, dry, dark place (away from sunlight). Dried herbs keep for years but for best results use within a year. Most herbs will diminish in flavor with age and a larger amount will be needed to achieve the desired flavor in cooking.

Answer 6

you can put it either in a dry paper towel near a windowsill that sees a lot of sun, or you can out it in a paper bag- like the brown sacks we used to put our lunches in, and keep it a dark, dry place in your kitchen. Don't put it in water or inthe refrigerator! It will go bad faster.

Answer 7

Hang it up upside down

Answer 8

cut it at stalk, tie a bundle together and hang it upside down