Drying Fresh Herbs

[Roll_Bones]

My garden is growing well. I have had to trim back the herbs as I cannot use all of it fresh.
So I plan to dry some for future use.
I took a bunch of thyme and tied a string around the stems and have it drying in the shade on my porch. Its very warm out.

Questions:
Dry, tied up or loose?(I am trying to mimic the plastic bag oregano that Lidia uses all the time)

To dry in the sun, shade, inside, outside or dehydrator?

How dry is dry enough?

Thanks All.

 

[GotGarlic]

My garden is growing well. I have had to trim back the herbs as I cannot use all of it fresh.

So I plan to dry some for future use.

I took a bunch of thyme and tied a string around the stems and have it drying in the shade on my porch. Its very warm out.



Questions:

Dry, tied up or loose?(I am trying to mimic the plastic bag oregano that Lidia uses all the time)



To dry in the sun, shade, inside, outside or dehydrator?



How dry is dry enough?



Thanks All.

I have been growing and preserving herbs for many years. I generally put them in a dry vase for about a week and that does it. Then I remove the leaves from the stems, keeping them as whole as possible (they lose flavor faster when they're crushed) and put them in airtight jars.

They need to be completely dry to prevent pathogens from reproducing. Dry them in the shade to help maintain the color.

I'm not sure what you mean by this: (I am trying to mimic the plastic bag oregano that Lidia uses all the time)

Are you talking about Lidia Bastianich? I've never seen her show, so I don't know what you mean by "plastic bag oregano." I can guess, but... [emoji2369]

 

[Marlingardener]

We grow a lot of herbs, more than we could possibly use fresh. I have an antique corn dryer and a wooden dryer my husband made, and I hang them in the north window of the kitchen, stems tied with string and a hanging loop. Depending on the humidity (we are in Texas!) they are crisp in a week or so. I store them in glass jars for future use.

Don't crush or crumble. Dried herbs keep their flavor better as whole leaves. Less surface area exposure to air, more flavor!

 

[Roll_Bones]

Thanks GG. Yes Lidia Bastianich. She has her Italian oregano in a plastic tube shaped plastic material that she shakes a little and then pours the leaves onto the dish or some measuring device. I think its from Italy. Its a good idea. Like you say keeping the leaves attached to the stems then shaking the bag or dried stalks releases them for use.

Okay I will keep them in the shade.

 

[Roll_Bones]

We grow a lot of herbs, more than we could possibly use fresh. I have an antique corn dryer and a wooden dryer my husband made, and I hang them in the north window of the kitchen, stems tied with string and a hanging loop. Depending on the humidity (we are in Texas!) they are crisp in a week or so. I store them in glass jars for future use.

Don't crush or crumble. Dried herbs keep their flavor better as whole leaves. Less surface area exposure to air, more flavor!

Thank you. I am thinking the tied bunch might not dry as well? My plan is to put them into a crackly type plastic bag (similar to the wrap around fresh flowers) then just shake the bag and get the leaves separated from the stems.

 

[GotGarlic]

Like I said, I keep mine in an airtight glass jar. When I use it, I shake some out into my hand and crumble it up then.

 

[blissful]

I use a dehydrator at 95 to 100 deg F.

If I have too much for the dehydrator I put them in hanging shaded dehydrator baskets. I use it mostly for spearmint, peppermint, blackberry leaves, lemon balm.
Like this:

https://www.thepurposefulpantry.com/tips-for-storing-dried-herbs/
The purposeful pantry has tips for drying all kinds of foods including herbs.

 

[GotGarlic]

Heh, bliss, it's 94F here today [emoji16]

 

[taxlady]

I prefer to freeze fresh herbs. Lots of kinds are well suited to tying in a bundle and then wrapping tightly in wax paper. Then I put an elastic around the wax paper and label it and put it in a zipper bag with other herbs. For stuff like parsley or dill, I just take thin slices of the top and rewrap the rest and put it back in the freezer. Mostly it's chopped fine enough just by that slicing.

Was it here that I heard about preserving herbs in salt? It sounded interesting.

 

[GinnyPNW]

I do both...some I dehydrate in a dehydrator and some I put in the freezer. Especially basil. I use it dried but I use it from the freezer too...and other recipes need fresh basil. It is nice to have options, I think.

Of course, the dried herbs make nice gifts too!

 

[Roll_Bones]

Heh, bliss, it's 94F here today [emoji16]

LOL! Its hot here to. I have my thyme in a wire basket hanging on my front porch.

I prefer to freeze fresh herbs. Lots of kinds are well suited to tying in a bundle and then wrapping tightly in wax paper. Then I put an elastic around the wax paper and label it and put it in a zipper bag with other herbs. For stuff like parsley or dill, I just take thin slices of the top and rewrap the rest and put it back in the freezer. Mostly it's chopped fine enough just by that slicing.

Was it here that I heard about preserving herbs in salt? It sounded interesting.

I love fresh herbs and freezing is something I should try. Does the freezing do any harm to the herbs?
I bet the remaining salt would be tasty as well.

 

[GotGarlic]

LOL! Its hot here to. I have my thyme in a wire basket hanging on my front porch.

I love fresh herbs and freezing is something I should try. Does the freezing do any harm to the herbs?

I bet the remaining salt would be tasty as well.

Freezing is a great way to preserve soft herbs like cilantro, dill and parsley, which lose their flavor quickly when they're dried. In my opinion, woody herbs like bay leaves, rosemary, sage and thyme are better dried, though; their flavor compounds are less volatile. Dried mint is a common herb in Greek and Middle Eastern seasoning mixes for ground meats (kofte) and rice.

Preserving herbs in salt reminded me of this article from my favorite blog about food preservation: https://foodinjars.com/recipe/salt-preserved-herbs-from-preserving-by-the-pint/

 

[taxlady]

LOL! Its hot here to. I have my thyme in a wire basket hanging on my front porch.



I love fresh herbs and freezing is something I should try. Does the freezing do any harm to the herbs?
I bet the remaining salt would be tasty as well.

To me, the only thing that freezing does that is a "harm" is that the texture changes to quite limp. They aren't very attractive as garnish, except when they are chopped. One of the things I freeze most years is chives. I always seem to have a bunch left at the end of the season. I usually cut them after the first snowfall. There is nothing magic about the snowfall, but at the point, it's getting too chilly for me to want to go into the yard to pick chives when I'm about to use them.

 

[Roll_Bones]

I have 3 bay Laurel plants/shrubs/trees I bought online 3 years ago. They are doing very well. They are my most prized plant in my arsenal.
I have not planted them in the ground along with some other important species.
You see I am not sure how long we can manage this place. It gets harder and harder every year. I seem to make more work for myself each year as well.
Along with horticulture I am an aquarium hobbyist and have really dug in deep. And the regular maintenance of a house in the country is taxing and expensive. But its paid for at least.

So at this moment I have 2 giant Sequoia trees about 3" tall and the 3 bay laurel. They are in containers. I am going to order 2 silver ingots engraved with our name and date of planting for the Sequoia trees. Since we will not live 3000 years, I am hoping this tag will preserve them for many generations to come. It is my hope.