Drying Herbs
Why Dry Herbs?
Drying herbs is an easy way to preserve them for later use, whether you're making tea, salves, or tinctures. It's also a great way to store herbs you don’t have immediate plans for, allowing you to avoid tackling a project for every herb you receive.
Dried herbs are excellent for making tea because drying concentrates the flavor by removing most of the moisture from the plant.
Methods to Dry Herbs
Forced-Air Dehydrator
Set the thermostat between 90-100°F. Roots can handle higher temperatures than delicate flowers or leaves. Turn herbs several times for even drying. Drying may take several days depending on the plant and weather. We use a large dehydrator at the farm but also find our small Excalibur dehydrator useful for especially moist herbs or roots (chop/slice them first) during rainy weather.
Bunching and Hanging
I like hanging herb bunches on a line of twine in our kitchen. For large bunches, I separate them into smaller portions for drying. This method works well for less-moist herbs like sage, thyme, rosemary, and horsetail. Keep the herbs out of direct sunlight while drying, and store them once dry. (Though keeping them hanging can be nice too.)
Oven Drying
Use very low heat in the oven with the door slightly open. Prop the door open with a wooden spoon to allow airflow.
Sunny Day in a Hot Car
On a sunny day, you can lay herbs on racks or paper in your car with windows slightly open for ventilation. Make sure they’re out of direct sunlight.
Brown Paper Bags
Herbs like nettles dry well in brown paper bags. Fill the bag halfway and separate the leaves from the stems for faster, even drying. This works best for leafy herbs but not flowers or roots.
Screens
Lay herbs out on screens for good ventilation. This method works especially well for flowers, although petals may stick slightly to the screen.
How to Tell When Herbs Are Dry
- Leaves should be crumbly.
- Stems should snap (if they don’t, remove the leaves and compost the stems).
- Flowers should crumble, or for calendula, the centers should snap with your fingernail.
- Roots should snap when dry.
Storing Dried Herbs
Store your dried herbs in mason jars to keep them airtight and prevent molding. They’re ready for storage when the leaves crumble easily. If the stems are still moist, remove the leaves and let them dry for a few more days. Roots can take weeks to fully dry.
- Once dried, remove herbs from your drying method (screen, dehydrator, etc.) carefully, keeping the leaves intact to preserve essential oils.
- Store herbs whole to keep the oils locked in until you’re ready to use them.
- Only crush or crumble what you need when you're ready to use them.
- Label jars with the herb's name, date of storage, and optionally, where they came from, their Latin name, and drying method.
- Store jars in a cool, dry place away from sunlight.
- Check your jars 24-48 hours after sealing to ensure there’s no moisture or condensation.
If properly dried and stored, your herbs should stay fresh for about a year, and roots can last even longer.