I want to make dried it is so huge plants of herbs beautiful lot of rain here for few days it grow so fast better than water hose. Please tell me how to make dried Herbs? Thanks~
How to make from fresh to get dried Herbs?
It's going to depend on the herb. The thicker it is, the more you'll have to do. If it's tender little leaves like mint, generally you can place it on a screen in a dry place (are there dry places in New Iberia? There aren't many in Beaumont...) or you can use a food dehydrator. That's a lot safer, and it will have instructions for drying times. You don't want to dry it until crisp, but you don't want to leave much moisture in it or it will mold. Try W/Mart -- they have a very inexpensive one there, and you can get into drying all kinds of things.
Debbie ... i do not know what kind of herbs u are going to dry. u got to let us know cuz there are so many ways to dry herb. each herb has difference in the way to dry them.
the lazy method is to pull the herb, wash in the best way u can. tie a rope around the root area. hang in the garage to dry. lazier method is to just hang the herb upside down to dry in garage.
small herb leaves like parsley and cilantro, u can take the leaves. wash then and spin dry in salad spinner. once herbs do not have enough moisture, spread them in cookie sheet. set the oven to 175ºF. be sure to stir the herbs once every 20 mins to even dryness. time depends on how much u are drying. a bunch held by ur hand, if u separate the leaves from the stem, should dry in more or less an hour. as i have said time depends on amount u are drying. be sure they are thoroughly dry.
once herbs are dried, u can crumble them with ur hand and store in dry dark place. should last u 6 mos. to a year, depend on how often u use the herb.
Phew... I hate to think of turning the oven on with our heat and humidity. I use an old fashioned oven (with a pilot light). Our power goes out too often. Anyway, using the pilot light heat only it takes longer but is a dry spot to dry them. The herbs won't mold while drying in the oven.
Thank you all so much for post here so sorry that I could not get back to check it out soon.... cuz has problem with on my left side near by knee bothering me right now so thanks again.. I appreciate that!
You all have a wonderful day so T'Care!
Wanted to bump this up. I have a bunch of rosemary that I would like to dry for future use. We love rosemary on steaks, etc. Have oregano and sage that will be ready to do something with before long. Any ideas about how to do this. I do have a dehydrator with four layers that I usually dry deer jerky on, but haven't done anything else.
Your dehydrator will work fine... if you have options with it, choose a lower heat setting rather than a higher one.
I think dried herbs lose some of their flavors. I like to freeze herbs or use them to flavor vinegars. See this article for suggestions: http://davesgarden.com/guides/articles/view/111/.
Thanks for the suggestions, I better get busy.
Mini ice cube trays are great for freezing rosemary... a little fresh rosemary goes a long way! One or two quarter inch "cubes" of chopped frozen rosemary plus a little garlic and a splash of white wine or boullion will make a fabulous pan of sauteed green beans...
I also want to try making some dry rubs.
Dried rosemary can be cracked or ground in a propeller-style coffee grinder... just use an old one, or be sure to clean it carefully before using it to grind your morning cuppa, LOL!