The best place to dry your fresh-picked flowers and leaves is in the shade, when the temperature is about 85-95 degrees. You want to be sure that there is plenty of ventilation. Ideally, a screened porch with a nice breeze, or screened drying racks with a fan pointed toward them is a great way to prevent bugs from getting to your crop. You also want to be aware of the humidity in your area when you are drying your herbs; too much, and they will mold.
Always keep your drying plants away from direct sunlight, and bring them in at night so that they do not collect nighttime moisture.
Once picked, your plants should be washed, and the excess moisture shaken gently from them. Tie the stems together and dry in bundles, hanging upside down. I have different herbs and wild plants hanging from every wooden curtain rod in the house in the summer. They look great, and smell wonderful! Do not be tempted, however, to leave them there for decoration, as the continued exposure to heat and air will strip them of their flavor and medicinal qualities.
When ready for storage, the leaves will crumble and crack.
Are you wondering what to use for drying racks? Two of my favorite racks (and both are great ways to recycle old junk) are old screens, stacked on top of each other and then placed on the screened porch to keep away the bugs, and the large-weave metal basket-type shelves from the bottoms of old freezers, lined with screening, and topped with more screening. For things like mint leaves, I fill those baskets about half full, cover them with screening, and stir them several times a day; it's a good way to dry large batches.
If your humidity is high, or your temperatures too cool to dry outdoors, you might want to use a food dehydrator. I live in southwest Oklahoma, and although we have ample heat and a steady wind for drying, there are many days on which it is just too humid to dry plants. I often use a dehydrator, with a temperature setting of 95 degrees, to dry my herbs. A dehydrator equipped with a good fan helps speed up the process, allowing you a fresher-tasting yield.
Another good way to dry herbs is to clear out a small closet and equip it with a heat lamp and small fan. Hang your herbs from the clothing racks and keep a close eye on them----you'll want
Go To Page: 1 2
