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What would cooking be without herbs? They not only are beneficial for our health but also add flavour to practically any dish. To make sure that we can use herbs all year round, we have to preserve them during summer. Drying is the most common practice to preserve herbs; as usual there is more than one way to do it. In this post I show you three different ways how to dry herbs.

Preparation

I know that many people tell you not to wash your herbs before drying them because that would enhance the risk of mildewing. But that’s only true if you don’t dab the herbs dry properly after washing or even bundle the stems together while they are still wet. I always wash my herbs before drying them because no matter where they grow, they’ll always be dirty or contain the occasional insect. After washing, shake the herbs out over your sink, then lay them out on a clean towel and cover them with a second towel. Now, gently squeeze out the remaining water and move the herbs over to a third (dry!) towel where you let them pre-dry for a few hours.

Now they are washed, your herbs are ready for being dried. Let’s start with

Air-drying

With this classic way of drying herbs, you bind the herbs into a bunch with a diameter of about 2 – 3 cm /1 inch. Hang it upside down at a temperate place with proper air circulation but without direct sunlight. Alternatively, you can put the herbs onto drying racks. Let them dry for about one week, depending on the herb. If you’re not sure whether they are dry enough for storage, you better leave them for one or two days longer. Otherwise, the herbs will develop mildew.

Dehydrating

You can dry herbs in a dehydrator. This is especially great if your dehydrator has mesh inserts that keep the leaves from falling through. Dry the herbs in your dehydrator according to the manual for about two to four hours.

Oven-drying

If you (like me) don’t have a dehydrator, you can also dry herbs in your oven. For that purpose, cover your trays with baking paper or silicone mats, put the clean herbs on them and let them dry at about 50 °C /120 °F. Stick a wooden spoon into your oven door to let the moisture evaporate. Dry the herbs until they are crisp to the touch and remove easily from the stems.

Storage of dried herbs

Dried herbs are best stored in clean glass jars or airtight plastic containers. You may also use brown-glass jars to keep out the light.

When your herbs are completely dry, put them onto a piece of baking parchment and strip the leaves from the stems. Dispose of the stems, slightly fold the baking paper in half so that a crease forms and let the dried herbal leaves glide into your container. I usually, store the whole leaves (well, as whole as they stay when removing them from the stems) and crumble them when I use them. That way they maintain more flavour.

Store the jars or plastic containers in a dark and dry place for about one year.