How to Dry and Store Culinary Herbs

High quality herbs are expensive. You can save a bundle of money by drying fresh herbs at home. Whether you grow your own, or just purchased a bunch fresh from the store, it doesn't make any sense to waste the excess. Preserve the flavor and color of herbs by drying them. Properly stored, they will retain their flavor for up to a year. It's quick, easy, and only takes a few minutes.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Microwave
• Paper Plates, or Paper Towels
• Small Storage Containers
• Mortar and Pestle (optional)

1. 
    
   Rinsed and Drained Herbs

   Harvest or purchase fresh herbs. In either case, be sure to rinse them thoroughly in cold water. Hang them upside down to dry long enough to drain off any excess moisture. Trim away any damaged leaves.

2. 
    
   Ready to Dry

   Arrange the herbs on either a paper plate, or paper towel. Make sure the herbs are spread out evenly to avoid clumps that won't dry properly.

3. 
    
   Dried Leaves

   Microwave on high for fifteen seconds at a time until the herbs are completely dry. This should take approximately two minutes. Watch carefully. Once herbs are totally dried, they tend to catch fire if you continue to microwave them. Test for completion by rubbing a leaf between your thumb and finger-if it crumbles, you are finished.

4. 
    
   Crushed Culinary Herbs

   Remove herbs from microwave. Rub between your fingers, or crush using a mortar and pestle, until herbs are proper consistency. You can also crush them by putting them in a plastic sealable bag and using a rolling pin. Be sure to remove any stems that have not been crushed.

5. 
    
   Finished Culinary Herbs

   Label and store in tightly sealed container. Avoid keeping herbs near heat or sunlight. Either will cause herbs to lose their flavor. (Note: you can purchase small glass jars at most hobby shops. Small zip lock bags also work quite well and are available at most arts and crafts stores.)

Tips & Warnings

• Different herbs take different times to dry. Be sure to watch closely.

Resources

• How to Make Culinary Herb Blends

[40skydiver]

on 7/25/2009 Awesome, thanks for the steps to do this.

[mweise]

on 7/10/2009 This is so easy and so inexpensive! I use so many herbs in cooking, this is going to save me some bucks! Bookmarked! 5*

[Merriment]

on 7/9/2009 Wonderful information. My next garden venture will be to grow my own herbs, so this article will be a keeper for future reference! 5*

[oxymora]

on 7/9/2009 Great article. I never knew you could do this in the microwave.

[deedavis]

on 7/9/2009 I always freeze mine. Great steps, now I know what to do. Thanks for the information on how to dry and store fresh herbs.