How to dry herbs - From fresh garden herbs!

[Kitchen Witch]

How to dry herbs - From fresh garden herbs!

Imagine how your dishes will taste this winter if you have your own garden herbs to add to them. Its easy to dry or freeze some for a year-round supply of good quality herbs! Here's how to do it, complete instructions in easy steps and completely illustrated. You don't need any special equipment: air drying or room drying is the easiest, as well as, most inexpensive method for preserving herbs. Moisture evaporates slowly and naturally during air drying, leaving the precious herb oils behind. Dehydrators are useful if you want to dry large quantities of herbs or you have high moisture herbs such as basil.


Directions for Freezing herbs
Ingredients and Equipment

* fresh herbs - any quantity.



* glass or plastic containers, a vacuum food sealer, or "ziploc" type plastic bags.

Instructions



Start with fresh herbs - as fresh as you can get.


Step 1 - Which method for which herb?

1. Sage, thyme, summer savory, dill, bay leaves, oregano, rosemary and marjoram are sturdy, low-moisture herbs that are best suited for air-drying.
2. Basil, tarragon, lemon balm and the mints have a high moisture content and will mold if not dried quickly. So the oven, dehumidifier or dehydrator methods work better
3. Chives are best frozen.

Tips

To release the full flavor, crush whole herb leaves or use a mortar and pestle to grind, just before adding to the recipe. When using dried herbs, add to soups and stews during the last half-hour of cooking or follow recipe directions. Be creative and add dried herbs to flavor your favorite foods.

Only use a microwave oven as a last resort for drying, as microwaves literally cook the herbs producing very poor quality.