How Dry Herbs Can be Created Right in Your Kitchen

Let’s talk about how dry herbs can be made right at home and how they play a particularly important role in keeping our diet and lives consistently healthy. Growing kitchen herbs and using them fresh is, of course, one of the great joys of our home herb garden. Their flavor transforms the simplest meal into something special and brimming with health because herbs are a potent source of healthy and complex ingredients.

However, we may not have access to our fresh herbs after the outdoor growing season ends. What we want is to experience the amazing and powerful benefits of our herb garden, all year long. We are going to have to preserve our fresh herbs and lock in those nutrients. Many herbs will stay fresh and useful this way for up to a year. Once you know how to properly preserve your herbs, combined with my herb gardening steps contained in the information on this site, you will truly have made “herb health” a full partner in your new healthy life.

From Fresh to Dry Herbs – Drying Herbs From Cuttings

This is how dry herbs are achieved in the ancient way. (It is also my favorite way.)

  • Cut the herbs low on the stalks with pruning shears or scissors
  • Remove the lowest leaves to create room for tying the herbs
  • Using string, tie the bundle low on the stalks
  • Hang the bundle of herbs upside down in a cool dry place
  • When fully dry, remove the leaves and transfer them into a glass or ceramic container that has a lid or cap

Melanie’s note: It is best if the herb container is not made of clear glass. The herbs will last longer if they are away from the light. Also, make sure the container has a good, tight lid or cap. We want as little air in the container as possible. You may also put a cotton ball on top of the herbs to keep out air before closing the container.

Drying Herbs in Oven

To accelerate the process, the drying herbs in oven method is often used.

  • After cutting multiple stalks of herbs, lay them out flat on a baking sheet
  • Place the baking sheet in the oven and turn on at a low heat setting
  • Turn the herbs regularly and check for progress by checking a few individual leaves
  • When herbs are dried evenly, remove sheet from oven
  • Remove and transfer the leaves to a container as described above

Melanie’s note: Many ovens do not heat evenly and are a lot hotter than people realize. For this reason, I prefer the natural drying of herbs. But if you are careful, the drying herbs in oven method will work fine and it is certainly a much faster method.

Drying herbs in a dehydrator is another fast and effective method. Specifically we are talking about a produce dehydrator used for vegetables. It is a small kitchen countertop appliance that can be purchased at most kitchen supply stores.

Drying herbs costs pennies and over the course of an entire year, using your own herbs in this way, can save hundreds of dollars compared to expensive store bought dry herbs. Our herbs will also be much healthier and more flavorful.

For more tips on how dry herbs are created at home to preserve your home herb garden treasures, and much more, make sure to sign up for my free 10 part email mini-course. It includes information on preserving herbs in salt, as well as herb tinctures, which is a liquid or medium for creating and preserving your medicinal herbs.

We also discuss how dry herbs can rid your life of harmful chemicals our modern lives have introduced to our homes. Our grandparents didn’t need these chemicals, so why should we risk our health with them?

See you in the mini-course! Talk soon,

Melanie