Drying Herbs 

Even when winter descends your herbs garden can still offer you benefits. All you have to do is preserve some of your harvest bounty and use them until spring arrives again. Most herbs dry easily and when kept properly, they will retain their properties for some time.

Preparation

First: since most herbs reach peak flavor just before they flower, this is the proper time to harvest and dry them for later use. It is also best to harvest or cut your herbs in the early morning, in the period right after the dew  is gone. Annuals are cut off at the ground level while your perennials can be cut one-third of the way down the main stem, including the side branches.

Herbs should be washed in cold water with the leaves still on the stems. Lightly run the water over them to remove dust, bugs soil, dust or other unwanted material. Drain on absorbent towels very thoroughly or you can simply hang your plants upside down in the sun to evaporate the water.

Natural or Air Drying

Dry your herbs thoroughly before you store them. You will find that mint and basil, have a high moisture content and require rapidly drying them to prevent mold forming. You can  retain some of the green leaf color by drying then in the dark, warm [21.1^o-26.7^oC which is 70^o-80^oF], well ventilated, un-dusty area for about 2 weeks. Tie them together tightly in paper bags to prevent shrinking and hang them upside down to allow the essential oils in the herbs to flow from the stems to the leaves. Leaves are ready when they feel dry and crumbly in about 1 to 2 weeks.

Drying Seeds

You can dry seeds for seeding later. Dry them in the sun for several days before putting them in a cool, dry location. If you plan to use the seeds in the home then you should blanch them to get rid of tiny insects that can be inside. You can wrap the seeds in cheesecloth and dip them into boiling water to do the job. Then you can put them on paper or a very fine mesh screen to dry in the sun.

Seeds take as much as 2 weeks to dry, depending on size. Place seed heads on cloth or paper. Partly dried seeds can be rubbed together, gently between your palms to remove the dirt and hulls. Then put then thin layers on either paper or cloth to finish drying completely.

Oven Drying

Some folks dry seeds by popping them into an oven at the lowest temperature - less than 82.2^oC [or 180^oF]. It can take 2 to 5 hours to complete the job. If you use a microwave, just place the seeds on a paper towel or paper plate for 1 to 3 minutes at most. Just make sure to mix the herbs around every 30 seconds to get even drying throughout.

Storage

Once your herbs are dry, strip the leaves from the stems. Culinary herbs can be crushed and stored in jars. Leaves and blossoms for teas can be left whole. Dried roots should be crumbled. Make sure all containers or jars for storage are air tight and keep them in a cool, dark spot.

Disclaimer: This text is provided is for informational purposes only. We make no recommendations with regard to use, preparation, consumption or cultivation of any form or any kind of herbs. Please consult your physician in all these matters.