I am growing rosemary, basil, and cilantro. Does anyone know how to dry them properly?
how to dry herbs?
Rosemary dries well... Wash the branches well and hang them or lie them on a rack of some sort, like a baker's cooling rack so air can circulate above and below. Leave them for 4 days or more, and then just stip the needles off the branches with your fingers. They will break off and fall apart easily. I like to do this over a large sheet of paper and then fold the sheet into a funnel and dump the contents into a jar.
Basil and cilantro don't dry well... they don't retain their flavor - I think the oils are more delicate and evaporate away when the leaves are dried. To preserve these for long term use, I mince them up, mix them with stock or wine, and freeze them in small containers - ice cube trays work well. after the cubes are frozen, you can transfer them to a zip-lock bag. Just pull out a cube or two as you need them... I make pesto with both basil and cilantro and freeze this also.
I hope this helps!
Portia
I never thought to use ice cube trays Thanks so much for sharing I've got to try this.
Kim
Does it can put in freezer to put zip lock... if do.... so that I has many kind of herbs but for how long it will take good for the herbs at last in the freezer?
u will not like the result, i don't! believe me i tried. unless it is basil and u make pesto then freeze.
what kind of herb are u trying to preserve Debbie??? u got to remember, herbs got different leaf type to know the right procedure to do. can't help if we do not know what we are dealing with.
Thanks so much for the info. My rosemary is still doing great, but my cilantro is already going to seed. Didn't last long at all. My basil is still doing really well though...I don't know how to make pesto....I'll have to look that part up.
the recipe forum has pesto recipes http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/592995/ it is easy to make pesto: prepare all ingredients ahead of time. when u are ready, u can either use a blender, food processor - to facilitate ease in making pesto. once u've made the pesto, place in ice cube container, freeze then transfer to plastic bag. when u need the pesto u can take a cube or however many u need to use. good luck!
How to dry sage, thyme, summer savory, dill, bay leaves, oregano, rosemary or marjoram - From fresh garden plants! http://www.pickyourown.org/DHsage.htm
~* Robin
I can't remember where I saw it, but someone suggested that drying any herb is as easy as putting it in a paper bag, putting the paper bag in the trunk of your car and shaking it once a day, leaving it long enough for the hot trunk to do the drying for you.
Kathleen,
That could be good; as long as you don't have someone around who constantly cleans out the car!
~* Robin
LOL, nobody here ever cleans out the car! My biggest problem is that we have an SUV - NO TRUNK!!
I've got to take a picture of my curtain rods this fall... LOL! That's where I hang all of mine, with brown paper bags tied with ribbons, yarn & floral wire.
Crazy? Eh, it works for me! But then there's no kids in here to pull them down.
~* Robin
I have never planted herbs or done anything like it before but I have Parsley and Sweet Basil in pots in my house. My sisster had them planted outwside this summer but left without telling me anything about them. I would like to dry them and will try the paper bag way but do I plant the entire plant or cut some off and let the rest grow. As you can tell I dont know anything about them. Hope someone can help me.
Hi Robin, In your area, the basil will probably not make it through the winter, unless you bring the plant inside in a pot so, if you wait until right before your first freeze so the plant has a bit more time to grow, just remove the whole basil plant. Rinse the leaves off well and shake off the excess water. You can either strip the leaves off the plant, throw them in a paper bag and put the bag on top of your refrigerator or you could just hang the entire plant upside down to dry in a dark closet of something. II prefer to strip off the leaves in advance. It's a cleaner process and then, when they're dry, all I have to do is store them. In Cottonwood it'll be dry enough for your basil to be completely dried in no time. Store the leaves in a clean jar in a dark cupboard.
For the parsley, these plants are biennial, meaning they live for two years. Depending upon how old the plant it may live for another year or more before it sends up a flower stalk, signalling that it's finished. I will say that dried parsley in pretty tasteless, in my humble opinion, but you can easily dry the leaves as directed above for the basil.
I make a lot of pesto and herbal vinegars with my basil at the end of the season. The pesto will store easily in jars in the freezer for a long time. I freeze it in 1/2 pint jelly jars, which is just enough pesto for two of us for one meal. I use the vinegar in salad dressings. Today, I'm making a blueberry/basil vinegar, having found a recipe on the internet for it. My herb garden is so small that I can't afford to try to grow my basil throughout the winter. I'll be planting dill and cilantro instead.
Best of luck to you!
Momherb
If you click on the "Guides and Information" tab and then look under "Articles," you'll find a series of articles on herbs that I did last month... there are recipes for pesto, directions for herb vinegar, and more. :-)
If your basil plant has blooms on it, the leaves might not have quite the flavor you want anymore (sometimes they get pretty bitter), so taste them before you go to the trouble of drying or otherwise using the basil.
Thank you for your help. I have already brought my basil inside in a pot so will strip the leaves and dry them per your directions. I have not tried to do pesto but will go to the articles you mentioned and get recipes.