How I Dry Herbs and Flowers
I was asked recently how to I like to dry my flowers, and my explanation just got longer and longer, so I decided to make it a post. These are my personal methods, but they’re certainly not unique to me!
Hanging
Hanging is one of my favorite methods, especially for full-bodied flowers that won’t press well, like roses or baby’s breath. Hanging works with nearly everything I’ve done it with! Example: roses, lavender, basil.
It’s super easy! Take your flowers or stems of leafy herbs and cut them so they’re about the same length. I usually do about a foot, but if you have at least 8-ish inches, it should be good! When cutting from a larger plant, cut diagonally to protect the original plant. If drying flowers, strip off any excess leaves.
Then get some twine or rubber bands and bundle them together, like max 7 per bundle, less if you want to play it safe, but it really depends on what you’re drying. Wrap the twine / rubber band once or twice around the end of the bundle that doesn’t have the flowers on it, then once or twice around each individual stem.
Hang upside-down in a cool, dry place with decent air circulation. If you care about keeping the colors, hang them in a place away from sunlight, which will bleach out the colors. Check back once every week or so until dry, usually 2-3 weeks.
Pressing
Pressing is better for flat flowers or individual petals. This is a little too tedious for herbs. If using full flowers, cut as much of the stem off as possible unless it’s really thin. If drying individual petals, just pluck them off the flower.
You’ll need a large book or two flat surfaces and something very heavy. Place a few layers of paper towel (preferably without pattern) on one flat surface (or one side of an open book), lay out your flowers / petals in a single later on the paper towel, making sure they don’t overlap, and cover with more paper towel. Then place the other flat surface on top (or close the book). Put some heavy stuff on top. This takes about 2-3 weeks as well. Be careful when opening to check on them as the petals might move around.
Oven
This is best for herbs that you need soon. You can also do with flower petals, though I don’t like doing it with full-body flowers because they can become flat on whatever side is pressed against the oven tray.
Preheat your oven to it’s lowest temperature, usually 250 degrees F. Get an oven tray and cover with a sheet of parchment paper. Strip your herbs (sage, rosemary, thyme, basil) from the stems and lay them out in one layer. Place in the oven for about 30-40 minutes then take them out and give them a stir / flip. Bake for another 30 minutes, or until dry. Leave the oven door cracked open while drying to release moisture.
What to do with your new dry stuff?
I like to use hung flowers for decorations… like wall hangings. You can also make potpourri, or burn them as an offering. There’s tons of other decorative uses! With flattened ones, I love gluing them into my notebook with a very, very thin layer of Mod Podge applied on the paper and on top of the petals / flowers. I’ve always wanted to put some in snail mail, but I never send mail. You could also frame them! Oven dried herbs are great for spells, cooking, etc.
Make sure to store your dry herbs in an airtight container.
