Drying Fresh Cut Herbs for future use....

Life in my tiny house is winding down...maybe only another year until we move into the house we're building. One of the things I will continue to use my cabin for is drying herbs. I've even written on the joists where each herb is to hang to dry. :)

Drying Herbs is really a very simple process. You can use all kinds of methods to get the desired "dry" result, but I have found the easiest method, and most sure way to get a quality product is to hang them to dry for several weeks from the ceiling. The ceiling is a relatively warm, dry space, and where I hang mine it's fairly dark and has good air-flow. I have found other methods take near constant monitoring, because they use heat...and heat can burn the end product if left too long. If you want quality dried herbs to use all winter long, please take a few extra minutes at the beginning, and the rest of the drying method will be hands-free. :)

First cut your fresh herbs using sharp scissors. This is the best way, as you won't end up with ragged ends that won't dry uniformly, and won't harm your herb plants, either. Bundle your herbs together with a rubber band, insert a large paper clip through the rubber band, hook the other end of the paper clip over a thumb tack and push the thumbtack into where you plan to hang your herbs to dry. As the ceiling in my cabin is unfinished, I can use the joists. You may have an unfinished attic with rafters where you can hang them, or even a basement, just be sure that your area is warm but not hot; dry, not humid; and has some air flow...natural or man-made...like a fan. Let dry for many weeks, until the leaves are brittle. If the area where you're drying them is dusty, drape cheesecloth over your drying herbs. The cheesecloth will catch the dust, not the leaves of your herbs.

When your herbs are nicely dried place on a paper plate, strip the leaves off the stems, crush or rub between your hands if you need a smaller (finer) end product, and hen store in a gasketed glass jar. I have discovered that small jelly jars or baby food jars work wonderful for storage. You may also save your old spice jars and reuse them. Place in a cupboard or on a shelf that doesn't get direct sunlight. Flavors tend to stay "fresh" for about 6 months to a year. I have found that drying my own herbs takes the guesswork out of how long my dried herbs are good for. God only knows how long they may have been sitting on a shelf in the grocery store before you brought them home. :(

Here is a picture of my fresh-cut herbs just being hung and the following picture is of my herbs two weeks later. Notice how much more dried out they are in just a couple of weeks. Another week or two and they'll be ready to place in jars. I can't wait! It's a very therapeutic task for me...and the smells are WONDERFUL!