Dry Mint - Here's How

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Before Drying: How to Harvest Mint

You should always harvest the mint just before it reaches the flowering stage. This is when the herb is at its most aromatic.
Use good pruning shears or a very sharp knife to cut off the mint.
Be careful not to cut off too much of each stem. A guideline is that at least a third of the plant should be left standing.
After cutting, you should also check for insects. To do this, you can briefly shake the harvested stalks.
Now you should wash the mint. You do this in preparation for each drying method that we present to you. This will remove dirt and any bugs you haven’t seen.
You should then roughly dry the mint again – for example with a salad spinner or towels.

The easiest way to dry mint is to air dry it.

For this you only need some cord, ideally made of a natural material, for example.
You should stretch the line in a dark and dry place. A guest room with curtains, for example, or a dark place in the kitchen is suitable for this. The ideal temperature for drying mint is 20°C.
Now tie 2-3 stems together with the string. Make sure the bundle is tight but leaves as much slack as possible.
You then attach these bundles to the line and let the mint hang for a few weeks.
When the mint is dry, you can easily remove the leaves from the stem by squeezing them with your fingers.

Drying mint in the microwave is super quick and super easy. So it’s ideal if you don’t have time to use the gentle process of air drying.

First, pluck the leaves from the stem.
Then spread out leaves on a microwave-safe plate, making sure none of the leaves are on top of each other.
Now heat the mint leaves for 10 seconds at a time and check how soft they are after each interval.
Usually, the leaves stay green and curl slightly when done.
After about 1 minute of these intervals, your mint leaves should be dry.

Drying in the oven is also very easy.

You must also remove the leaves from the stem beforehand.
Then spread them out on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
Be careful not to overlap the sheets, otherwise, uneven drying may occur.
Now preheat the oven to 50°C.
Once this temperature has been reached, wait another 5 minutes and then switch off the oven.
Then put the baking tray with the mint in the preheated oven.
Now the mint leaves stay in the oven for about 20 minutes. Check regularly.
You can recognize the finished mint by the fact that it curls slightly and rustles a little when you move it.

Don’t store mint in cardboard boxes. The cardboard absorbs the oils of the mint, which quickly loses its special aroma.
Better to use an airtight jar. An old (cleaned) jam jar is also suitable for this.
Ideally, you should keep your herbs and spices in a dry and light-protected place.
If you don’t have a dark place, consider using amber glass. These protect light-sensitive substances and can also help to preserve the aroma.