How to Make an Herb Dryer
If you have an herb garden or regular access to fresh herbs, drying your own herbs to tide you through the winter can be a cost-effective way to have them year-round. An herb dryer is essentially a collection of wire-covered trays, on top of which you can set chopped herbs. The natural heat of a warm room or direct sunlight will dry the herbs so they will last longer. You can make an herb dryer on even the tightest of budgets with just a little bit of know-how, access to basic carpentry tools, and recycled timber. Does this Spark an idea?
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Instructions
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Build the drying tray frames for your herb dryer. Four to eight trays are generally ideal. Use recycled packing pine and create rectangular trays. Each tray will need four pieces of wood, two long pieces and two short pieces. They can be relatively thin, but should be at least 2 inches deep to ensure you can grab them easily.
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Affix metal flywire to the top of each frame. For a firm connection use construction glue to attach the flywire, then use a staple gun to ensure it stays in place.
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Attach a knob to make it easier to pull each of the trays out. Any sort of scavenged dresser knobs can work just fine. If the wood is soft enough you should be able to simply screw in the knobs. If you are using a harder wood, drill small holes first and then screw the knobs into the holes.
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Construct a frame to fit your trays. This should be a simple box with dimensions wide enough to accommodate the trays. If you want to get fancy you can insert rollers, but for a practical herb dryer it's fine to simply slide the trays in and out over the wood. Leave 1 to 2 inches above each tray to fit your herbs on.
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Finish the frame and trays with paint or oil as you wish, or leave the wood bare. If you use an oil or lacquer, make it nontoxic. Otherwise you may leach dangerous chemicals into your herbs.
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