How to Dry Herbs

How to Dry Herbs

When harvesting herbs to dry, choose leaves and flowers that are healthy and vigorously growing, not those that are past their prime and starting to turn yellow or wilt. Ideally, herbs should be harvested in the morning, but wait until any moisture from dew or watering has dried.

Herbs need air circulation while they are drying so that they do not become moldy. Herbs on long, sturdy stems such as lavender can be dried by making bundles and hanging them with the flowers facing down. They can also be dried in paper bags.

Herbs that cannot be easily hung up can be dried on a screen drying rack, or simply by spreading them out on newspaper. To improve air circulation, make sure that they are spread in a thin layer and not piled up. They should be kept out of direct sunlight.

Label the drying rack with the name of the herb and the date. Some herbs look very similar once they are dried, and if you are drying several different herbs at the same time, you may not be able to tell them apart if they do not have a characteristic scent.

Allow the herbs to dry until all of the moisture is gone and they can be broken up easily, but don't overdry them. Thin-leafed herbs such as feverfew or nettle will dry in a short period of time, only a few days. Herbs with thicker leaves such as mullein or yerba santa will take longer. Some types of herbs, such as chickweed or cleavers, have very delicate leaves and can be tinctured or infused in oil without drying them completely; simply allow them to wilt overnight to remove most of the moisture. This is sometimes called "fresh-dried."

Garbling Dried Herbs

Once the herbs are dry, they need to be garbled. While garble usually means to mix something up and cause confusion, in the context of herbalism it means to separate out and save the parts of the herb that you want to keep. To garble dried herbs, carefully remove the leaves and flowers from the stem. The stems generally have little medicinal value and can be discarded. Dried lavender buds can be removed from the stem by sliding or rolling the buds through your fingers.

Storing Dried Herbs

Dried herbs should be protected from exposure to moisture, air and direct sunlight. The medicinal properties are often found in the volatile oils, and these can be quickly degraded by UV light and oxygen. Wide-mouthed glass jars with tight-fitting lids are the best choice, such as canning jars or recycled peanut butter or pickle jars, but herbs can also be stored in plastic containers.

Stored properly, dried herbs should remain potent for about a year, possibly longer. You can tell whether a dried herb is still good by the color and scent. For herbs with an identifiable scent, such as peppermint or lemon balm, simply crush some between your fingers and smell it. If the scent is still strong, then it is usable. But if your red clover has turned brown or your sage smells like nothing but dust, discard it because it will have lost its potency.

Source: Personal experience