Drying Herbs
@thebeaddoodler (4262)
Lubbock, Texas
August 5, 2008 12:05pm CST
I joined e how some time ago, thinking I'd write a short article now and then. Well I finally got my writer's cap on today and shared a simple way to dry herbs. Many people dry herbs in the microwave, but I just feel that is too violent a heat method and destroys much of the good properties in the herbs. I prefer to air dry mine and have done so for 8 or 9 years.
If anyone would like to take a look at it and give me some feedback I'd appreciate it. I usually just write in my blog and have no journalism training, so a critique would be appreciated. 
I hope this doesn't count as a referral link. It's the link to the article.
http://www.ehow.com/how_4471172_dry-herbs.html
I hope this doesn't count as a referral link. It's the link to the article.
http://www.ehow.com/how_4471172_dry-herbs.html2 people like this
3 responses
@tinkerick (1257)
• United States
5 Aug 08
Thanks for the link! I've been curious about that. I have a dehydrator, but haven't used it in ages. But unless you watch it very carefully - everything dries out too much. This method sounds simple and pretty fool-proof.
2 people like this
@thebeaddoodler (4262)
• Lubbock, Texas
5 Aug 08
It is very simple. Just be sure in the first couple of days that you turn or stir the herbs. I've never had any problems with anything dried with this method except for one year when it was so hot and humid. I have an evaporative cooler so that puts more humidity in the air. I had some red clover buds mold because they wouldn't dry. 
1 person likes this
@byfaithonly (10698)
• United States
21 Aug 08
I just dried a bunch of herbs in my dehydrator and wish I'd read this article before I did - I think I dried them too much :( thankfully I didn't harvest all of them yet, I'm making my own Italian seasoning this year.
Also, great article and I should know - I used to write for e-how as a ghost writer when they first opened. I think I've written around 300 articles for them but my name isn't on any of them. You did great :) keep up the good work.
@byfaithonly (10698)
• United States
23 Aug 08
Well I'm still learning and don't think I'll do the dehydrator again - by the time the herbs were 'dry' they also had no smell or flavor. Well next to none kinda like eating the paperbag you dried your herbs in :(
Going to the store today and am requesting paper instead of plastic bags :)
1 person likes this
@thebeaddoodler (4262)
• Lubbock, Texas
22 Aug 08
Thanks. It's great to get feed back from someone with more experience than I have.
As for drying herbs in a dehydrator, I've never had any luck with that. Mine always ended up tasting like dust by the time they dried completely. I guess in a very humid climate a dehydrator might work very well, but we have pretty low humidity here, so the paper bag is one of those "set and forget" things. You can forget them after about the 3rd day and then go back when you have time and put them in jars.
I hope you have plenty of herbs left for your seasonings. They are SO much better made from freshly dried herbs!
@thebeaddoodler (4262)
• Lubbock, Texas
5 Aug 08
Thanks for taking a look. With all the years of research and study I have behind me studying herbs, you'll never guess where I got that simple drying method. When I lived in New Mexico the Weather Man on our "local" TV channel out of Albuquerque was an avid gardener and specialized in native plants. He always had a gardening tip of the day, and that was one of them.
With all the years of research and study I have behind me studying herbs, you'll never guess where I got that simple drying method. When I lived in New Mexico the Weather Man on our "local" TV channel out of Albuquerque was an avid gardener and specialized in native plants. He always had a gardening tip of the day, and that was one of them.1 person likes this
@cjgrooms (4456)
• United States
6 Aug 08
I remember when our weather man (George Wearthly) used to do that. He would bring tomatoes and such to show everybody and give tips. But i swanny, now a days they aren't allowed to have any personality of their own and it is BORING to watch so i usually just get my weather on-line, where i can read it instead. But i do thank you for the tip. Last year i used all of my herbs that i could but i couldn't use them fast enough and lost a lot of them. This time i'll know what to do.
1 person likes this
