How to Dry Herbs for Food Storage
Growing herbs provide great flavors to meals, but you can also preserve them for long-term food storage. Learn how to dry herbs so that you can enjoy them all year.
Servings: 450 servings
Calories: 2kcal
Ingredients
- 1 bunch fresh herbs of choice
- twine drying screen or food dehydrator
- 1 glass jar for storing
Instructions
- Gather herb clippings, and remove any yellowed, dead, or diseased pieces.
- Grasp firmly by the stems and give the herbs a good shake to dislodge debris and insects.
- Dry using one of the following methods:
- Hang and Air Dry: Remove the lower leaves, tie the stems into small bundles, and hang upside down in a dry.
- Drying Screen: Spread the herbs out on a drying screen. Suspend the screen over two chairs so the air can circulate above and below the screen.
- Let herbs dry in a warm, dust-free, and airy place out of direct sunlight. Herbs with small leaves like thyme, oregano, and rosemary will take about 6 days to dry out completely. While larger leaves, like basil and parsley, can take up to 2 weeks.
- Food Dehydrator: Preheat food dehydrator to 100˚F. Place the herbs in a single layer on dehydrator trays and place in the dehydrator until herbs are dry, 1 to 4 hours depending on the type of herb. Check occasionally to prevent over drying.
- Once the herbs are completely dry and brittle, remove the leaves from the stems and store loosely in clean glass jars or containers with airtight lids.
- Store the jars in a in a cool, dark place, away from heat, humidity, and temperature fluctuations. Dried herbs will remain potent for 6 to 12 months when stored properly.
Nutrition
Serving: 1teaspoon | Calories: 2kcal | Carbohydrates: 0.25g | Protein: 0.133g | Sodium: 2mg | Fiber: 0.13g | Sugar: 0.036g | Vitamin A: 10IU | Vitamin C: 0.625mg | Calcium: 5.7mg | Iron: 0.11mg