Drying herbs and flowers may or may not be something of interest. Here are some tips for those who are looking to dry their own harvests and gatherings.
Air drying typically works best with herbs that are low moisture like rosemary, oregano, dill, lavender, etc.
Herbs like mint, basil, chive, are best put into an oven or dehydrator.
Be sure to trim them at a slight angle so the center of the plant is protected while drying.
Gather together a decent sized bundle. Anywhere between 7-10 branches/sprigs, typically, and tie them off with string or a rubber band even. The smaller the bundle, the faster they’ll dry.
Hang the bundle, stem-side up towards the ceiling, for about a week or so. The cooler and darker the place, the better.
Herbs are ready if the leaves/flowers crumble easily.
If you are using the herbs for food, the best time to harvest them is right before the plant begins to flower. You can prolong the harvest by snipping away the flower buds as they appear.
Essential oils are concentrated in the leaves early in the morning before the sun can release them into the air so early morning is the best time to harvest.
Cut away healthy herbs, remove the sickly and dried/wilted leaves, and shoo away insects. Be gentle!
If you rinse the herbs, PAT DRY CAREFULLY!
When it comes to seeds (dill, fennel, etc), place the flower heads (once cleaned from stems) into a paper bag or Tupperware container and have fun shaking!
Clean up leaves/seeds/etc and place them onto a cookie sheet (I usually use a shallow one. I believe mine is less than an 1 inch?).
Put herbs in an open oven on low heat – less than 180 degrees F – for 2-4 hours.
(I cannot stress the low heat! You WILL burn them otherwise.)
Herbs are ready if the leave crumble easily
Oven drying takes out some of the herbs potency to more will need to be used in cooking which is more than fine.
Store in labeled, dated airtight containers like canning jars, plastic storage containers or freezer storage bags.
For best flavor, keep the leaves whole until you are ready to use them, then crush.
Dried herbs are best used within a year.
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