Drying Herbs to Extend Their Usefulness
Herbs Being Hung to Dry
After you have grown your herbs you can either use them freshly picked from your herb garden, or preserve them for use outside the herb growing season. if you do this you’ll be able to enjoy using your herbs all the year round.
This article is about harvesting and drying herbs. Drying herbs is one of the most common forms of preservation, but I have described alternative preservation methods at the end of this article.
Timing is a very importing factor in the harvesting of herbs. Wind and heat can disperse the essential oils of the herbs, so you should choose a calm and dry morning during midsummer to harvest them. Fewer oils are produced by your herb plants on extremely wet days. Harvest the herbs just after the dew has dried from the leaves and before the flowers open. Harvesting the herb does not mean removing the entire plant. At this point, you are just taking a certain amount of growth for immediate use.
You don’t need to use the herbs you’re harvesting at the time that you harvest them. By drying herbs you can use them later in the year when fresh herbs are no longer available in your herb garden.
When you do decide to harvest your herb plants inspect them first for insects and damaged leaves, and be careful not to take more than a third of the plant’s foliage at one time. They need a good amount of foliage to re-grow.
Preservation Methods
Typically there are three ways that people preserve their kitchen garden herbs for later use:
- Drying
- Freezing
- Preserving them in a medium like salt or vinegar.
Preservation by drying herbs used to be the most widely used method, but with the wide availability of fridges and freezers preservation by freezing has become more important. You can also preserve your herbs by preparing aromatic oils. I have have described how to do this in my article on “How to Make Aromatic and Healing Herbal Oils”.
Peservation by Drying Herbs
In order to dry herbs you need to bundle six to twelve stems together and remove any foliage near the base of the stems.
You can secure the bundle with string. Hang the bundle in a cool location away from sunlight. If you are looking to dry individual leaves you can place them on a screen or a rack. (In the picture I have used a clothes horse).
Remember to turn them often in order for them to dry properly. Some people have turned to using appliances like dehydrators, ovens or microwaves to dry herbs, but most experts seem to agree that these are less satisfactory ways of getting the job done.
Preservation by Freezing Herbs
Freezing herbs is a fairy simple way to preserve herbs. Cut the herbs into ¼ inch pieces and place on a baking sheet lined with wax paper. Once the herbs are frozen, you can place them together in a bag and store them in the freezer until use.
Preserving with Salt or Vinegar
The third way to preserve herbs is through a medium. For instance, you can cover herbs like chopped mint, basil or tarragon with vinegar and it will be preserved for several months. Or you can make a flavored salt to preserve herbs by alternating layers of fresh herbs between salt. When completely dry separate the brown herb from the flavored salt and store it in an airtight container.
Use Fresh Herbs When Possible
Although you should consider drying herbs to preserve them for use when the season has ended, it’s far better to use your herbs fresh right out of the garden. Take care cleaning the herbs before they are placed fresh in recipes. In order to clean your herbs place them in a bowl filled with cool water. If there is a large quantity of herbs you can use the sink. Place about two tablespoons of salt in the water. The salt in the water will drive away insects without damaging the plant. Remove the herbs from the water and dry them in a salad spinner.
Research Your Herbs
Different types of herbs are used for many different uses. Each different type of herb has its own list of instructions on how to use, harvest, and chop them. Make sure you carry out some research on the types of herb you are using to make sure you are using it correctly.
Enjoy your herbs,
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