What is the best way to dry fresh herbs at home?

Question

A method or something that works well and isn't to complicated or expensive.
Thanks.

Answer 1

Whether you have your own herb garden or purchase your fresh herbs from the grocer or market, drying herbs is a great way to preserve them for later use. Drying herbs isn't a complicated procedure, and you don't need any special equipment or appliances to be successful.

There are two basic ways to dry fresh herbs: air drying and heat drying. Air drying takes longer, but results in a more flavorful product. Heat drying is quicker, but the addition of heat to the process can, in effect, cook the herb and cause it to loose some of its flavor. Both methods, however, result in aromatic dried herbs that can last up to two years if stored properly.

The Air Drying Method

Air drying works best for hearty herbs such as sage, thyme, oregano, dill, and rosemary. More delicate herbs like parsley and basil can be air dried, but much care should be used when handling the fragile leaves and stems, and the herbs need to be checked frequently for the presence of mold.

To air dry your fresh herbs:

1. Snip herbs in small bunches; gently shake each bunch to remove insects and dead leaves. Pluck off any damaged leaves by hand.
2. Gathering the branches by their stems, tie bunches of four or five branches together with string. Be careful not to tie the string so tightly so as to cause damage to the stems, as broken stems invite mold.
3. Hang the bunches upside down in a warm, dry, well-ventilated area. You can use an indoor clothes line, clothes hangers hung from a rod, or even hook the bunches over tacks in a bulletin board. If your herbs are resting against the wall while hung, turn them every few days to allow even drying.
4. Leave the herbs to air dry for at least two weeks. It doesn't hurt to leave them longer than that, so if you are unsure as to whether they are completely dry or not, leave them hanging. Herbs will be sufficiently dry when they are crumbly to the touch.
5. When completely dried, remove herbs from their stems. Discard any bunches that contain mold. Store in an airtight container or zippered plastic bag in a cool, dark place.

The Heat-Drying Method

Heat drying works best with the fragile herbs that may not make it through air drying without turning moldy. While there are many dehydrating machines on the market that use heat to dry food, using your oven is just as effective.

To dry your fresh herbs using heat:

1. Preheat oven to 150 degrees.
2. Snip leaves from stems; discard stems. Also discard any branches that show signs of mold or damage. Rinse leaves under cold water and gently but completely dry with paper towels.
3. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silpats (reusable non-stick baking mats). Spread herbs over the baking sheet in a single layer, taking care that they don't overlap.
4. Bake the herbs until they are completely dry and crumbly; about 40 minutes. Remove them from the oven and let cool. Store in airtight containers or zippered plastic bags, in a cool, dark place.

Using Dried Herbs

When you're ready to use your stored, dried herbs, crumble them in your hands before adding to your recipe. This will allow the aroma and flavor to escape the dried leaves much better than adding the whole herb at once. Alternatively, use a mortar and pestle to finely grind your herbs.

As they age, dried herbs tend to lose their flavor and potency. If you're using older herbs, add a little more than the recipe calls for in order to get the maximum taste in your food.

Answer 2

Sure I can help you there, just take a couple of clean paper towels set one on your widow sill (the one that gets all the sunlight), place your herbs on the paper towel and then place the other one on top of herbs, this keeps the dust and bugs off and just let them dry for about a day or two and there you have it, dried herbs. Now this works very well out here in the southwest (very little humidity), if you are back east, or up north, northwest, or down south, any where else in the country. It's probably better to use the kitchen oven set just at warm for a couple of hours or use a food drier, just don't use the paper towels if you need to do this thou. Hope this helped some.

Answer 3

Do you have a gas stove or have access to one that you could use. I have found that the pilot light in my oven provides just enough heat to dry herbs beautifully. Spread them out in a single layer on cookie sheets or whatever and just leave them in there. Parsley takes about a week as does basil. (could take a little longer). In the case of basil I remove the leaves from the stem and do them that way. Same with the parsley stems. Little leaves like thyme I just put all in and when dry pull the dried leaves off. You couldn't get anything more inexpensive and it does work well.

Answer 4

I would never, ever think that I would be saying this; but the Ronco food dehydrator works like a champ. I have dried fresh herbs, tomatoes, beef jerky, and even Kiwi. I bought it after a weak moment during one of his info commercials. The fool thing works, but it does take over a week to get your jerky!

Answer 5

Do like they did in the cities back in first half of the last century: Spread them out in a large, flat container, like a lasagna pan, cover it with mesh (like window screen) to keep out critters, and place it on top of your roof.

Depending on your local weather, the herbs could dry in a few days or less.

Answer 6

You can buy something called a dehydrator.
But for cheap, tie herbs in bundles with string.
Or, enclose in paper-bags to keep out dust etc.
Tie the bags shut with string, & hang from nails in rafters.
Be sure to label bags, you may not recognize contents.

Answer 7

On a sunny window sill, fresh are better with slight chop to them, add a little olive oil then grill them before addin to meal!! chicken take herbs well and fish too...

Answer 8

go to this site:
http://www.brigids-haven.com/bos/herbs/drying.html
http://www.ehow.com/how_323_dry-herbs.html
http://gardening.about.com/od/vegetablepatch/a/DryingHerbs.htm
http://www.wikihow.com/Dry-Herbs
http://www.budget101.com/drying_herbs.htm
http://www.pickyourown.org/dryingherbs.htm
http://tipnut.com/how-to-dry-herbs-with-a-microwave/

you can watch w/video on this site:
http://homegarden.expertvillage.com/videos/dry-herb-garden-herbs.htm