How to Dry Herbs For Storage?

If you want to dry fresh herbs for storage, you have two options. Either you hang them up in bunches to dry or spread them out on a thin piece of fabric or gauze. The fabric should be stretched in a frame.

Herbs that dry well include thyme, rosemary, oregano, marjoram, mugwort, lovage, sage, and lavender. If you want to hang them up, cut the herbs off as long as possible. Before you tie up to ten branches together with thread or rubber bands, you should wash the herbs and pat them dry thoroughly. Do not mix different types of herbs to avoid distorting their aroma. Hang the bundles upside down in a shady, airy, not too hot room. Well suited are, for example, attic and pantry.

Leaves and blossoms that cannot be gathered into bundles are spread out on a frame covered with thin fabric. Don’t put them on top of each other, just make one layer. Again, an airy, not too hot, and not too sunny place is ideal for storage. After 7 to 14 days the herbs are then dry.

Dried herbs are wonderful for seasoning dishes, but you can also use them to make herbal teas yourself. Alternatively, you can also create your own herbal salt from the herbs.

You can freeze herbs with very soft leaves or shoots that do not dry well. All you have to do is wash, dry and finely chop the chives, dill, parsley, and basil. Spread them out on a tray in the freezer beforehand, so they won’t freeze together later in plastic bags or freezer boxes. Alternatively, you can put the chopped herbs in ice cube trays and fill them up with water. Herb ice cubes are easy to portion. You should continue to use frozen herbs without thawing so that they do not lose their aroma.