Drying Your Own Herbs
(spearmint, after a few hard frosts)
Drying Herbs
I don't know if any of you grow and dry your own herbs, but they can be used all year, both for teas, tea-blends, or in various creams, lotions, powders, or other things, *powdered* and you'll have them throughout the winter months.
I noticed the other day, that although we've had a few hard frosts, my spearmint was still going strong and didn't seem to care. Since spearmint makes a great tea, flavoring or a good addition to lots of blends as well as in potpourris, I thought I might as well dry some more of it.
The best way to dry herbs is in small bunches, bound together loosely with either a rubber band, (doubled if you have a large enough one), or a loose string; not so loose as to have the herbs falling out, but tight will pretty much insure you'll have a good chance of getting mold in your herbs before they dry out completely. Also, the larger the bunch, the less air-flow you get throughout the herbs, making it very probable that there will be mold/bacteria in them when dried.
Since we don't want to brew that, or use it in anything, taking a few steps to make sure it doesn't happen is worth it. Besides, the smaller the bunch and the looser you can get away with, the more you'll get the scent of the herb as it's drying.
If your home is humid, please don't use a dehumidifier in the herb-drying room, as it'll not only take out the humidity, but it'll also take the scent out of your herbs. The alternative is easy and will cost you less in electricity. Take a small or even a stand-up fan and let it go on low, oscillating - but not directly in front of the herbs, so that they don't actually blow around, but they do get the air-flow.
You hang them upside down, by the stalks, so the herb that's to be dried, like spearmint, is hanging down. If you don't have a room that you can use, maybe a part of one corner even, that you can hang a rope (think clothesline type) across, and even clothespin the herbs to it, by the rubber bands. Space them far apart, and if you're drying several types of herbs at the same time; keep them away from each other - you don't want them to mix and they will. You can even find little hooks in the hardware store, which are inexpensive and place them on the drying-line, then hook them into the rubber bands of the herbal bunches.
After they are good and dried, a good place to store them for later use is in glass jars -- you can strip the leaves off and place them in the jars, or even powder the herbs in advance and fit a lot more in a jar that way.
A good idea is to label each jar, always with the date that you've dried it, the location of where it was planted, the growing conditions of that year (lots of rain, sun, etc's), as herbs are better from year to year, or worse and sometimes just moving the herb to a different location in your garden the next year will make a lot of difference.
Also, when you're drying different herbs at the same time -- for example oregano and parsley, or mint and oregano or lavender, keep in mind that the oregano will have tend to overpower herbs like parsley or even spearmint, so keep those well away from each other.
In the meantime, enjoy the scent of herbs drying in your home; they smell great!
Any questions - please feel free to ask.
mn - 2008
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Comments: 35
Janet, you still have tomatoes? YUM, ours aren't native here anymore and they don't look or taste the same at all.
I have wrought iron curtain rods with finials extending at either end in the kitchen. I've found that the space at the end - either side of the curtian rod is a great place to dry bunches of herbs.
...and yes, I've tied mine too tight or had too many in a bunch and got mold - but now I got it down to a science. I use a slim red ribbon to tie the ends with a bow, so it looks pretty hanging up there and by the time they are dry I start using them.
I also hang them from the knobs of my kitchen cabinets above the sink.
Wish I'd done that with my lemon balm before it got hot this summer - it suffered in the heat but It's making a nice comeback now.
Marilyn, you wouldn't happen to know haow to cut and dry lemon grass would you?
I've bookmarked this page for later references.
Remember paper bags. Paper bags breath. Take many rose peddles or what ever and finish them up in paper bags if you have more whatever then time.
Christmas tree bark. Skin the trunk instead of throwing it away or burning it, skin it. Dry. The sap is stored in the round "bubbles". Fresh pop the bubbles, smell. Heating this on low on the stove top will give off the pine tree aroma. Being that time of year and all.
Sage is very easy. Nettle is easy enough, but for the "stingers" when gathered.
Fresh is best. Dried or used right away. Much better then manufactured, don't you think?
Anyhoo love the post, right up my alley!
Being in Ca, I can use fresh pretty much all year, but there are times that I don't want to schlep outside to get some. Oh, the shock of my neighbors seeing me in my nice warm PJS!
I add mint to the rice in the cooker. It gives it just the hint of mint and adds so much to plain white rice.
I love Rose's idea too, of the herbs hanging there looking so pretty and the other thing I always love are the various scents as they're drying - smells so good! Well, it snowed this morning, so my herb-drying is over for this year. (Ugh) Not a lot, just enough.
It's time to make a lot of soap for the food pantries for the Christmas season, also lotions, creams and lipbalms and then drop them all off.
Rose, I will find out about lemongrass for you - as we can't grow it here, it's too cold, but it can be dried as it's a steam-distilled oil.
Marilyn
Catmint is a very effective mosquito repellant, if you make a cream from it or use an oil-based product and infuse it into it - matter of fact, there's about to be a huge catmint/nip oil shortage as we get most of our oil of it from Canada and I've been notified by my supplier already.
Catmint in tea, or as a tea, is also an herbal sedative, much safer than any medication for sleep that you could take. If you read the ingredients on some of the herbal teas, (Traditional Medicinals, for example is one), you'll invariably find catnip herb in it. Those that are for relaxation anyways.
We always keep the organic herb in the apartment, but can't grow it as there are drop-offs outside that'll eat it all before we can get a chance to harvest any!
Marilyn
I save my empty seasoning bottles for just that reason.....
great information ! ! !
It looks like you are back!
My first gather friend
I hope all is going well with your aunt.
I am glad to see you bak
have a wonderful day to day and a great week
By the way, I hope you have a wonderful 2009. Happy New Year!
Christian Glitter by www.christianglitter.com
A fun post, Marilyn, thank you!