Drying Herbs For Winter Use

If you love herb gardening and use your homegrown herbs to add flavor and appeal to your cooking then you probably want the convenience of having ready-to-use herbs in your kitchen or garden. If you want these herbs available to you all year round then it's best if you learn how to properly dry your fresh herbs. Drying herbs for winter use is one of the simplest and easiest ways of preserving herbs. In drying herbs you will enjoy having a stock of herbs in your kitchen whenever you need them.

The great thing about herbs is that you can use them dry or fresh. Fresh herbs have a variety of uses from adding flavor to your favorite dishes to also using them to treat common ailments such as bruises, minor cuts and sprains. Dried herbs are also very convenient and practical too. If you dry herbs correctly you can use them for a long period of time.

Probably the easiest and least expensive method for drying herbs for winter use is air drying. Using this technique is good because it won't deplete the herbs of their essential oils. In order to air dry herbs you pick them and tie them in small bunches then dip them in boiling water. After this it is good to either shake off the excess water or pat the leaves dry with the use of a towel. Then you can hang them upside down to dry.

Another method is with a dehydrator. First you remove the leaves and then place in single layers inside of the dehydrator at its lowest setting. You will want to keep the device running for approximately 8 hours, after which, you will need to flip the leaves and allow another 8 hours to ensure that the leaves are nicely dried.

Drying herbs on newspaper is another common form of drying herbs for winter use. It is important to pay extra attention to your herbs when you use this technique though to avoid mildew buildup. The plants should receive good airflow on all sides. You will want to flip your herbs for the first two days before you leave them for a longer period of time. This will reduce moisture problems from surfacing.

A traditional, tried and true technique is drying herbs on old screens. Using window screens set on bricks will allow ample airflow. This takes a little more time but will give you some of the same results that you may get from using the other techniques.

Regardless of the method you choose for drying herbs for winter use, you will discover the benefits of having your own personal stock available to you no matter what time of year it is.