The Ultimate Witches Guide to Herb Drying
As all witches know, herbs are a vital part of the craft. I am so lucky to be blessed with a large garden, and me and my husband grow an abundance of herbs for both magickal and culinary purposes. I have been drying my own herbs for years, and keep my cupboard well stocked! For me, drying my own herbs has yielded so much benefits, such as:
• It works out so much cheaper then buying from the grocery store.
• Its so much better for the environment. Think about the packaging that herbs come in when you buy from the grocery store that gets thrown away! We store our herbs in labelled glass jars, and the process is absolutely zero-waste.
• Its a lot of fun! I absolutely adore the entire process, it feels very earthy, witchy and it is so rewarding to produce commonly bought things yourself!
Currently, my inventory of dried herbs that I have prepared myself is as follows: Basil, thyme, parsley, coriander/cilantro, rosemary, oregano, sage, dill, lavender, tarragon, chamomile, peppermint, lemonbalm and many more. I use these dried herbs for teas and infusions, cooking and witchcraft. I also keep a fair amount of these herbs for using fresh!
Does this sound like something that appeals to you? If you have the space for a herb garden, it is definitely achievable, even if it is just on a balcony or windowsill!
Harvesting: the best time to harvest herbs is when they have plenty of healthy foliage to allow further growth. Regularly snipping actually allows herbs to thrive and encourages new growth! To keep my herbs healthy, I regularly snip off dead leaves and harvest healthy, abundant foliage while leaving enough to spare for the plant. The absolute BEST time to harvest is early in the morning after the dew evaporates, but before the suns rays start to evaporate the essential oils within the leaves, which happens when exposed to heat throughout the day. Use scissors to cleanly snip the foliage off the plant.
• Drying: After harvesting, it is important to dry herbs quickly to preserve flavor. After washing herbs, make sure to pat dry gently, you don’t want any moisture in preparation for air drying. To air dry it is very simple! Tie an elastic or piece of string around the base of the herbs to create a bundle. Then you want to hang them upside down in a warm, dry and dust free area out of direct sunlight. I use a drying rack and peg the herbs upside down and then hang the drying rack up, however you can use a clothes hanger or hang them on a line! Some people like to wrap a brown paper bag around the herb bundles when drying. This a) stops leaves falling onto the ground when dry and crumbly, and b) keeps them from gathering dust, etc.
You will know your herbs are dry when they feel dry and crumbly in texture.
Storing: After my herbs are dry and brittle to the touch, I separate the leaves from the stems and store in clean, airtight glass jars that are labelled so I know which herb goes where. I keep the leaves while and crumble just before cooking, as I believe this helps to retain flavor, but I know some people will crumble dried herbs with a mortar and pestle before storing. Keep your dried herbs in a cool, dark place away from humidity, and enjoy! 🌿
