How to Dry Herbs--Easy and Cheap

I have been growing my little "kitchen" patch of herbs for over 15 years now.  I pick them fresh for cooking with, but have always had more than needed.  So I dry them to use throughout the year until the following year's fresh herbs are ready to harvest.  I tried hanging them in bundles at first but they collected dust.  I use the following method, which is also great for drying flowers to gather the seeds for replanting/expanding and for the petals.  I use both dried herbs and flower petals in homemade soaps.

No need to rinse your herbs unless you use chemical pesticides, which I never use and there has been no need to.  I sometimes use a natural bug determent but wait at least a day, usually a week, before cutting and drying.  I'm sure I am over-careful!  I dry them on a window screen, you can choose size or how many you want depending on your needs.  Cleaned old ones are fine as long as they are in good condition and have no rust on the screen itself.  You can dry all herbs this way with little or no cost.  Elevate screen from the floor as you want air circulation both above and below your cuttings.  Place in a dark and dry room.  I never place in an air conditioned room, but your priorities should be dark and dry, not HUMID, however you need to accomplish those two.

When the herbs are ready to store, they will break up easily between your fingers (crispy and crumbly is the best way I can describe).  Check them daily.  If you over-dry, the aroma will decrease and the taste when later used will be basically useless.  That is something you don't want to store and cook with up to 1 year maximum.  The 1 year rule also applies to most store dried herbs you buy.  Just get rid of that try (feed to chickens, add to mulch pile, whatever) and start over again with new fresh herbs.  Usually all the dirt on the unwashed herbs will drop off during drying and when you remove to a basket lined with paper towels--or whatever you want to use.  Next I put the herbs in a lidded mason jar by hand (used, washed mason jars, seals and lids are what I use).

If you can't stand the idea of not washing your own naturally grown herbs, then rinse and gently dry between paper towels BEFORE you dry on screen.  There are other ways of preserving your herbs including freezing, storing in olive oil, dry-packing with salt and infusions.  I will share these with you later.

Greek Basil and Easy Drying

You can also cut tops when blooming

Bad pic but these are little clusters

By happen-chance I planted Greek Basil along the vegetable garden edge.  This Basil is the ONLY one I will ever grow again for cooking!  The aroma and taste is excellent, not as strong an anise taste as Sweet Basil.  It grows like a miniature shrub, but is only about 8" tall and about the same in width.  I have constantly harvested it by little clusters.  Its easy to collect (every 3-5 days), dry and store.  When you learn to cut it just right, which took a few tries, there is no trimming necessary.  No need to rinse unless you use pesticides (which I never use on any plants) and Basil plants, in my years of growing, have never needed.  I then dry on a window screen.  A cleaned old one is fine--you can dry all herbs this way with little or no cost.  Elevate screen from the floor as you want air circulation both above and below your cuttings.  Place in a dark and dry room.  Do NOT place in air conditioned room.  When the Basil is ready to store, it will break up easily between your fingers, smelling roughly 3X stronger than fresh cut.  If you over-dry, the aroma will quickly dwindle to basically useless.  Check it daily.  Almost all dirt on the herbs--usually all--will drop off during this time and when you remove to a basket lined with paper towels or whatever you want to use.  Next I put the herbs in a lidded mason jar by hand (used, washed mason jars, seals and lids are what I use).  If you can't stand the idea of not washing your own naturally grown herbs, then rinse and gently dry between paper towels BEFORE you dry.  There are other ways of preserving your herbs including freezing, storing in olive oil, dry-packing with salt and infusions.  I will share these with you later.

HERBS FOR CHICKENS

I grow fresh herbs around the run--to protect my girls (AKA chickens) from disease, flies/parasites/ etc--and in a separate areas.  They get herbs, fresh grass, marigolds, rose petals, veggies, fruits etc. every late afternoon-early evening, allowing them plenty of time to eat the chicken food/grains.  I also grind up egg shells from uncooked eggs and give it to them as grit (I NEVER use shells from cooked eggs i.e. soft/hard boiled).  My girls have never been sick and no lice etc.  I have never used any chemicals in coop, run, on them or near them.  I put herbs in coop that they don't eat that controls insects--mine don't like basil and they won't touch purple basil (I hate the purple, too, and will never use it to cook with or anything else).  But it is a pretty potted plant (annual) and I will grow again next year just for chicken coop and run.