Drying herbs and preserving their delicious summer flavors while maintaining their color and texture for wintertime use has always been a challenge.  There are many different methods, each with advantages and disadvantages which we will cover here.

 

Freezing:  I often chop up my fresh basil leaves and put them in ice cube trays with just a tiny bit of water.  Freeze.  Pop out of the trays into a zip lock bag and label.  They are easy to grab a cube or two to add to spaghetti sauce or vegetable soup.   You can freeze a variety of herbs lovage, basil, thyme, etc.  Freezing locks in the flavor of the herb very well, the disadvantage is that when it thaws the herb has an unattractive brownish color.  For that reason you have to add it to stews, roasts, sauces or soups, certainly not salads!   If you turn your basil into pesto first, with oil and garlic, it will retain its beautiful green color when frozen.

 

Microwave:  Drying herbs in the microwave locks in the color and the flavor but it can be a tricky process.  If you over-dry a herb it can catch flame in the microwave!  So please exhibit caution here.  My tip is to dry your herbs with a small cup of water in the corner of the microwave.  This isn’t to put out the flame but instead it gives the microwaves something to “cook” after the herbs are dry.  If you choose to try the microwave method of drying simply put 6-8 stems on a microwave safe plate and microwave on high in one minute increments. (Don’t leave the room!)  Your microwave instruction book can give you more specific directions.

 

Hanging: many herbs will air dry nicely.  Simple tie them in bundles of a dozen or 15 stems.  Use an elastic band because as they dry the stems contract and they will fall out of a pretty ribbon.  Hang the herbs where it is dark and dry, perhaps in a closet near your hot water heater.  The little extra heat from the water heater will help to dry the herbs faster, which will help them retain more flavor.   After a week or so when the herbs are dry like potato chips you can quickly strip the leaves off the stems.  Bottle, label, and use!   For optimum flavor store dried herbs away from heat and light.  You can keep them in amber colored bottles or just behind a cabinet door but both heat and light deteriorate the rich flavor of herbs.  Air drying herbs is an acceptable method to dry herbs you do lose some flavor of the herbs and I encourage you to be sure to get them bottled before the dust bunnies and spiders make a home in the hanging bundles!   Some herbs such as basil, parsley, lovage (celery flavored), and burnet (cucumber flavored) will lose their color and most of their flavor.  Other hardier herbs like rosemary, sage, lavender, and thyme will air dry very well. 

 

Refrigerator:  yes, refrigerator! This method, taught to me by my friend Herb Bayshus has become my favorite way to dry herbs.  You need to have a frost free refrigerator/freezer.  Pick herbs in mid morning before the intense afternoon sun evaporates the natural oils from the leaves. Gently rinse and gently pat dry on a paper towel. Then put the herbs in a paper lunch bag.  Label the bag and close with a paper clip.  Simply put that bag in your ‘fridge.  That’s it!  It should take about 2 weeks to dry. 

Here are some tips: For larger leaved herbs remove the leaves from the stem and put 20-30 leaves in a bag.  For small leaves dry them on stems with 10-15 stems per bag. To speed the two weeks process along, shake the bag occasionally.  When the herbs are dry take them out of the refrigerator and let them sit on the counter for a week before bottling just to make sure they are completely dry.  Then store in a glass container (brown is best), label and date.  Again store in a dark, cool place and the flavor should last for years.  This process works amazingly well for herbs that otherwise lose flavor or scent and color such as basil, tarragon, the fruit flavored sages, lemon balm, parsley, rose petals and scented geraniums.   Chives and rosemary do better in a frost free freezer.  It takes longer (about 2 months) but the color and flavor retention are excellent.  Try it – it’s a really “cool” way to dry herbs!

 

Whichever method you use – please do dry your herbs from your garden or left over fresh herbs you purchase from the grocer.  They will have a much richer flavor than commercially prepared herbs. 

 

Susanna Reppert is the owner of The Rosemary House in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania and a 6th generation folk herbalist. She and her family love all things herbal.  The Rosemary House is located at 120 S. Market Street, Mechanicsburg, PA 17055. www.TheRosemaryHouse.com