Drying Herbs

[SoyBean]

We purchased spearmint, rosemary, chamomile, and lemon balm for use in cooking and teas. The spearmint plant already has huge leaves on it so I went ahead and picked a few. How would I go about drying them for use in tea? We do not have a dehydrator. I rinsed them well with water and then patted them dry with a paper towel. Right now they are just sitting on my counter. How long will it take for them to dry for use in tea?

 

[papadekaitlyn]

If you have loose leaves spread them out on a paper towel and put it on a shelf in a high cabinet. Try to keep it kinda dark, but leave it cracked a bit to try to keep as much airflow as possible as it helps the drying process.

If the leaves are on the stem, then bunch the ends of the stems together and bind them with a twist tie (or string, or something) and hang them in a high cabinet. Try to keep the light off of them as it can reduce potency and leave it cracked a bit to allow as much airflow as possible.

 

[coopy]

I tye mine together and place them in a brown paper bag and hang them upside down to dry.

 

[OaklandCityFarmer]

We use all of the above methods, depending on space.

 

[Grow 4 Food]

to speed the process a little but we place them between 2 paper towels and then put them in a book. I seems to speed things up a little.

 

[SoyBean]

Any idea how long it takes for these techniques to work?

 

[papadekaitlyn]

It varies by the type of herb and the moisture content, but usually no more than a few days to a week.

 

[kimnkell]

Does anyone use a dehydrator to dry their herbs?

 

[Cassandra]

Does anyone use a dehydrator to dry their herbs?

I have done that once or twice but I haven't learned to do it right (yet!) When I take the herbs out, they literally crumble and fly away. LOL

Hrm... maybe I am leaving them too long.



Cassandra

 

[tinychicken]

I use a dehydrator. Yes, you certainly do have to monitor their progress. If you keep the leaves on the stems, like basil, and are waiting for the stems to dry, the leaves will be toast. I try to trim off stems of my parsely and basil. However, I leave oregano on the stem and just keep checking the leaves.