Drying Herbs

Properly dried herbs retain a noteworthy amount of their original color, aroma, and healing qualities. Drying herbs correctly is not really that difficult, but it does demand some careful attention to each plant's attributes. The first step is to take the plants out of the direct sunlight as soon as you've finished gathering them. A general rule of thumb is to dry warming herbs in the sun and cooling herbs in the shade.

Make sure that leafy herbs you've cultivated are kept clean of soil when you harvest them. A layer of mulch in the garden helps keep plants clean and free of mud from splashing rain. Wash herbs only if they really need it, because prolonged washing will affect their quality. If you do need to wash your herbs, wash them quickly and efficiently under cold running water. Allow washed herbs to dry well before placing them on a drying rack or hanging them. Gently pat them dry and place them in a cool, airy place to rid them of all moisture before beginning the drying process. If it is not possible to let your herbs air-dry naturally outdoors or in a warm attic, a heater can be used to maintain a steady, even temperature between 95° and 100°F.

The leafy parts of most herbs with volatile oils, such as mint, lemon balm, anise, dill, fennel, and lavender, dry best at temperatures between 95° and 100°F. Commercial herb processors often use much higher temperatures, but the patient home gardener can afford to dry herbs the way they should be dried: slowly and steadily. When herbs are drying, the flow of air over and around them is as important, or more important, than the heat. Greater air circulation makes a lower drying temperature possible. Herbs containing volatile oils should be dried in the shade, not in the sun, where their oil would decompose or vaporize.

Flowers are much more fragile than other plant parts and are especially vulnerable to damage from water. Protect them from water after gathering and dry them in drying room or dryer with a temperature around 90°F. If it is too hot or too cool or not airy enough in the drying room, flowers will discolor and lose their subtle qualities completely.

Roots and barks should be carefully washed and brushed of dirt. Chop them before you dry them, into pieces 1 inch thick or less with a small hatchet, cleaver, or knife, depending on how tough the root is. You can cut up large amounts of bark after drying if you have a compost shredder or a chipper. Generally, for the small-scale gardener, though, it is easier to chop bark before drying. Most roots can be dried in the sun, but sometimes, depending on the herb's properties, this is not desirable or possible. For example, if a root is gathered in October, there may not be enough sunlight to dry it properly. In this case, dry the roots indoors in a drying room or dryer. Roots can also be dried in a food dehydrator, which will speed up the drying process by at least three to four times.

If you are drying herb seeds such as anise, caraway, or fennel, place the whole herb branches or stems in large paper bags. Hung upside down with their umbels toward the bottom of the bag, the herbs will drop their seeds neatly into the bag's bottom. Another way to dry herbs in paper bags is to cut a hole in the bag's bottom and stick the herbs' stems through. Cut a few ventilation holes in the sides of the bag before placing the bunch of herbs in it. Then, hang the bag of herbs from a rafter and you've got a well aerated arrangement that will keep the herbs clean as they dry.

Drying racks

A good drying rack is very useful for the gardener who plans to dry quantities of herbs for medicinal use. You can construct a simple herb-drying rack with several levels. Window screening can be used both to maximize airflow and to support the herbs drying on racks. Fiberglass screens are suitable but avoid metal ones. You can also make screens from broad meshed cloth, such as muslin or burlap. Benches similar to those used in saunas, but made from thin strips of hardwood from 1/2 to 1 inch wide, are also good drying platforms if whole branches or large herbs are being dried. Leave 1/2 to 1 inch of space between each slat. Do not finish the wood with any stains, varnishes, or oils. Whether you use racks, screens, or benches, be sure to layout the herbs in thin layers so they dry evenly.

Drying rooms

It is prudent to determine beforehand how much drying space you will need, based on quantities of herbs and the cycle of harvest times for each herb. To dry about one-quarter acre's worth of fresh herb materials, you will need a drying room with about 200 square feet of flat drying space. An attic, if it is clean, is a good place to put the drying rack of herbs. You can also place the rack in a sauna (as long as no one uses it as a sauna). The entire wall of a shed can be converted to an herb-drying area by building drying racks onto its walls. Barns or sheds can be good herb-drying places, but they have a few potential drawbacks. The usually loose construction intended to allow plenty of air circulation may also allow dirt and insects to enter. And if the weather turns wet there is no way to keep out moisture. A more sophisticated drying setup involves construction of, or conversion into, a forced-air drying room or shed. You can use rafters, screens, or racks in the drying shed or spread the herbs on a raised "floor," a framework of beams covered with permeable sisal cloth. Air is forced into the shed with a centrifugal fan mounted on an outside wall of the building, near floor level. Place a screen and filter over the fan intake to prevent insects and dust from entering. The room also needs an open-and-close exhaust vent near the ceiling. For this you can use a window screen, a hatch, or a circulating vent.

How long to dry

Drying time for herbs varies with the particular plant and the part of the plant being dried. Flowers should be light and well dried, but not so dry that they crumble into powder with any handling. In general, leaves should be brittle enough to break between the fingers, but not so dry that they crumble. Stems and stalks should be breakable between the fingers, also, and not bendable. Bark and roots should be dry enough to snap if they are thin, or chip easily with the blow of a hammer if they are thick. With a little experience, it is easy to know when herbs are dried properly. The product should smell, taste, and look much like the original fresh plant, except that it is dehydrated. An herb that is green and fragrant when fresh should also be green and fragrant when dried. Be careful not to judge your dried herbs by the appearance of store-bought herbs. The latter are usually several shades lighter, browner or yellower than properly dried herbs should be.

Storing home-dried herbs

Heat, light, air, and bacterial action can all dissipate the healing properties of herbs. So can plastics and metal. So you must protect your dried herbs from these factors with proper storage. For short periods of several weeks or so, you can store herbs in a wax paper bag that is in turn placed inside a brown paper bag. For longer storage, a tightly capped glass jar, preferably made of dark glass to protect herbs from deterioration caused by light, is superior. The type of canning jars that have glass lids that close with metal clamps to form an airtight seal are best. If metal lids are used, place a piece of wax paper over the jar before screwing down the lid. Do not use soft plastic jars or bags to store medicinal herbs because not all plastic is approved for food use, and the container you chose may have a residue that will taint the herbs. Even if it is approved for food, plastic may encourage condensation inside the container that will hasten decomposition. Plexiglas containers are acceptable for herb storage. You can also store herbs in fiber drum barrels ( such as the kind that hold bulk dried goods in natural foods stores), air-tight wooden boxes or bins, and wooden barrels.

It's a good idea to figure out the approximate amount of herbs you will dry before you make the first harvest, so you know how much storage space you will need to accommodate them. Otherwise if you dry a lot of herbs, you will notice that they soon take over your cabinet space. Plan to keep small jars of dried herbs in the kitchen or medicine chest for regular use, but find a convenient larger space for the bulk storage jars or containers that hold the entire harvest. This not only saves cabinet space in the kitchen, but it also ensures the freshness of the stored herbs. Opening and closing a big container of herbs all the time only hastens spoilage.

The best places for long-term storage of herbs are dry, dark, and cool. Household pantries and cupboards may be dry and dark, but they are not always cool. Garages and cabinets in the house near the ground floor often stay cool, but be sure they are moisture free if you store herbs there. Also make sure that there are doors in front of shelves to keep out light.

It is very helpful to label your herbs carefully with the name of the plant and the date of harvesting. You may wish to include other details of cultivation or harvest, such as phases of the moon and weather conditions at the time of harvesting, seed or stock source, type of fertilizer or growing methods used, location of the growing plant, and methods and duration of drying.

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