How to Dry Herbs

To dry thin-leaved herbs such as thyme and rosemary, make bundles of 3 to 5 sprigs, tie them together with a twist tie, and hang them in a warm, airy, dry, and dark location. (Keep them out of the traffic areas.) They should dry to feel crisp in a couple days.

For large-leaved herbs that you can't get to dry well by hanging, any dehydrator will work as long as it has a low setting (90°-95°F). You can put sprigs or individual leaves in the

dehydrator. The leaves will dry faster when stripped off the stem, but sprigs are easier to

handle. When dried, the crispy leaves snap right off when you run your fingers down the stem. Most herbs will dry overnight in a dehydrator.
When the herbs are dry, put them in the oven at 120°F for a few minutes to make the herbs as crackly as corn flakes. Strip the leaves off the woody stems. If you're sure they're completely dry, you can store the whole leaves, which helps preserve essential oils. But I've had a lot of problems with mildew on herbs stored this way. So I now process them into flakes in a blender or food processor. I add a cup or two of leaves and pulse them in the blender until they become large flakes. Then I seal them in an airtight jar. I like to add a small packet of white rice, wrapped up in cloth or paper, to suck up any excess humidity. You can store the jars in a cool, dark cupboard, but I like to keep the jars in the refrigerator, which helps preserve quality longer.

To dry roots such as orris root, horseradish, and lovage, slice them thin and put them in a

dehydrator or warm oven to dry until they are hard. Store in an airtight jar.

To dry seeds, hang the mature plants upside-down over newspaper or cloth in a warm, dry

location. When the seeds fall, they're easy to scoop up. You also can dry herb seeds in a

dehydrator on low heat. But if the seeds are small, cover the drying trays with cheesecloth so the seeds won't fall through. When dry, you may need to separate the seeds from the rest of the plant. Put the dried material on one side of a cookie sheet that has elevated edges. Crush the plant debris with your hands. Then elevate the tray slightly so the seeds will slide down, separate from the chaff. Once they are separated, put the seeds in the freezer for 48 hours to kill any pests that may be inside. Then seal them in an airtight jar and store in a cool, dry location.

To dry flowers for potpourri or herb wreaths, place individual flowers or sprigs in the

dehydrator. Grower Marty Sickinger likes to dry flowers upright in a vase with a little bit of water. Let the water evaporate slowly, while the plants maintain their open shape. This works especially well with black-eyed Susans and daffodils, which would dry closed up if you hung them upside-down. Experiment with different flowers. Some dry well upside-down, and some  dry best spread out on a screen. Develop the method that works best for you.

One way to gather dill seed is to hang the plant upside-down and wrap a paper bag around it to collect the seed as it dries and falls off.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Salting Herbs

You can dry herbs in salt and use the flavored salt to season your foods. Salt draws moisture from herbs and at the same time absorbs some of their essential oils. It works best with thinleaved

herbs such as savory, rosemary, marjoram, dill, tarragon, and thyme, but it can be

satisfactory with most large-leaved herbs such as basil if you use fewer leaves and more salt. Here is how you dry herbs in salt.

Harvest the herbs you want to use, either a single type or a blend of complementary herbs.

Wash them and dry them well with a thick towel. Then remove any thick stems or inedible

parts. Chop the herbs up finely if you intend to use the salt and herb blend directly for
seasoning. Now take a container of non-iodized or kosher salt and an airtight container such as a canning jar or freezer container  Put a 1/4-inch layer of salt in the bottom. Then sprinkle on a thin layer of herbs. Cover the herbs with another layer of salt, and continue in this manner until you have used up all your herbs or reached the top of the container. Cover the top layer of herbs completely with salt and seal the jar.

.In about a week, the herbs will be dry. You can pull out individual sprigs and crumble them into dishes as they are. Or you can brush off the extra salt before you use them. If you want to use the herbed salt to sprinkle on a variety of foods, blend the herbs together with the salt thoroughly. Then pour into a smaller, airtight container that you can keep on your kitchen counter or dining room table.

Herb Sugars And Crystallized Herbs

Madelene Hill preserves the flavors of some of the sweeter herbs in sugar. The flavors blend

and make lovely, subtle combinations to use instead of regular sugar in any cold food. Rose

and lemon-scented geraniums, lemon verbena, or orange and lemon zest are particularly good

to use in herb sugars.

You can pack fresh herb leaves in granulated white sugar in airtight containers. Stir every day

to prevent clumping. After the sugar stays dry and loose, remove the leaves before they

become crumbly, and use the finished 'herb sugar' in iced teas or desserts. Note: The aromatic

oils bake off, so they don't work well in baked or cooked dishes.

To make herbs into syrups to add to iced tea or lemonade or bake into custards or other

desserts, Madelene Hill recommends putting a handful of herb branches in a simmering sugar

syrup; remove them when the herbs lose their color and the syrup is fragrant. The syrup is

ready to use right away.

American colonists, who couldn't run to the store to buy candy when they had a sweet tooth,

made their own sweet treats out of herbs. They candied young angelica stems and ginger,

preserving the herb and bringing out its flavor with a crystal sugar shell. Although these may

not replace modern candies, they are wonderful to use as dessert garnishes or edible

decorations on cakes and pastries.

Cookbooks of the 1700s recommended this process for candied angelica. Harvest young

angelica stems and boil them until tender. Peel off the fibrous strings and simmer the stems

again until they become very green. Dry the stems and weigh them; add a pound of doublerefined

(very finely textured) sugar to each pound of angelica stems. Let the combination stand

for two days, then boil the blend until it becomes clear. Drain off the syrup. Spread another

pound of refined sugar over the angelica, set the stems on glass plates, and let them dry in a warm place

.

Violets and rose petals are even easier to candy. Brush a little egg white all over each flower and dip it in superfine or powdered sugar. Let the sugar dry into a clear coating, and store in an 

airtight container.

Harvesting And Preserving Herbs

September is an excellent month to cut and preserve herbs intended for winter use in seasoning various dishes. They are best when dried fresh and lose their quality as they age.

Herbs can also provide creative, tasteful alternatives to salt for those on a salt-free diet.
 Others may be trying to reduce and salt often causes water retention. So do yourself a flavor - through the skillful use of herbs and spices, imaginative flavors can be created and simple foods made into gourmet delights.

Herbs and spices differ only in that herbs tend to be plants grown in temperate areas while

spices grow in tropical regions. Many people prefer to grow their own herbs, just as their

grandmothers did, so they will have a fresh supply throughout the growing season, thereby

assuring top quality. Professional cooks prefer fresh herbs, if available. But fresh herbs are less concentrated, and two to three times as much should be used if a recipe calls for dried herbs. If growing herbs for drying, the harvesting should be done in the morning after the dew has evaporated but before the sun is very bright. The essential oils in herbs will evaporate into the atmosphere during the day, so it is important to collect them when their flavor is at its peak. Cut only the amount to be used in one day.

The herbs should be dried in bunches or laid on screens in a warm, dark, well-ventilated spot. An attic is ideal, although closets or dry basements will suffice. The temperature should not be over 90 degrees. If it's too hot, the herbs will cook. The length of time required for drying will vary according to the thickness of the plant parts.

Herbs should be stored away from direct sunlight to prevent bleaching. Be sure they're well labeled. Most dried herbs will keep for at least one year in glass or plastic containers, but eventually they lose most of their potency and should be discarded.