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Drying
Herbs:
Three Methods to Yield High Quality.
My goal is to teach the best ways of drying herbs
with
an end result that is of the highest, natural quality and gives you the
longest shelf life possible. Some of these herb drying methods are not
historically or culturally accurate. I firmly believe that - if my
Great Grandmother owned some of today's conveniences - she would have
used them too. On this page I don't talk about all drying methods for
herbs, only the three that seem to yield me the best results.
The three basic methods for drying herb
I'm going to cover -
hang
drying, slow air drying and dehydrating (which is just fast air
drying). The purpose of drying your herbs is to remove the water (which
causes most of the spoilage), but retain most of the plants natural
oils (which is where nutrients and benefits, scent and flavor are).
Always start with a good washing. You want to
remove
bugs (check under leaves for eggs), dirt and anything else that might
be on the plant that you may not want. I don't want to gross you out,
but remember that animals pee outside. And, if the herb or spice was
purchased you don't know what chemicals could have been sprayed on
them. Pat or shake excess water off and walk away for about 15 minutes
to let the air dry them a bit more.
Drying Herbs via Hang Drying:
Drying herbs via hang drying can be aesthetically pleasing - but it is
a slow process, takes up a lot of room and may not work if you live in
a humid location. You need a place that has good air flow, NO direct
sun light and is not exposed to air born toxins (like gas fumes, hair
spray or cigarette smoke). The plant must also have
good stems that you can tie together well.
Cut about 2 feet of white (or natural colored)
cotton
string or jute - start gathering your herb by the stem, keeping the
stem ends as even as possible. Stop when the grouping is about an inch
or so wide. Tie these together about an inch or two from the stem end -
leaving about a foot of string on either side. Hold the two ends of
string together and tie that off at the top (giving you a handy length
to use to hang the herb).
Herb should always be hung to dry upside down
(leaves
down - stem up). You want the natural oils to travel into the leaves.
And, if you want to collect seeds it's now easy to loosely tie a paper
bag at the end to catch any seeds that might fall off.
Drying Herbs via Slow Air Drying:
There are just some things you can't hang like nuts, fruit peels,
berries, feathery leaves and some flowers. For the most part I skip
Slow Air Drying and these kinds of herbs go directly into the
dehydrator. But there are times that Slow Air Drying is just more
convenient and better for the herb. Two herbs that come to mind right
away are citrus fruit peels (that sometimes turn brown in a
dehydrator) and wood sorrel. Wood sorrel has never made a
good dried herb for me. You need to consider the place you are
using with the same conditions as for Hang Drying - adding that the
area must be very dry.
You can go into all kinds of high cost here
(making some
really nifty racks for drying herbs) or simply use stacking cookie
racks, with a piece of
paper towel laid down, before you set the herb on it. The most
important
thing to remember about slow air drying is that you MUST rotate and
turn the herb every day and you may need to change the paper towel.
You will also need to keep a close eye on this dried herb for
mold, after you place it in the container.
There is a very high risk that
mold will form
before the herb dries, especially if you live in a humid area. Even one
humid day - at the wrong stage - can spoil a whole crop of herb. This
is the main reason I use my dehydrator for drying herbs.
Hint to help: Turn your oven on
at it's lowest
temperature and prop the door open by about 4 - 6 inches. Begin the
drying in the oven by using the oven racks with paper towel on them. BE
EXTRA CAREFUL that the paper DOES NOT come close to any
flame! This
hint can even be used if you've started the process and have a humid
day in the middle of the drying process. Leave the herb in the oven for
anywhere from 10
minutes to a half hour - and CHECK on the herbs every 3 minutes. You
don't want cooked herb - you want dried herb.
Drying Herbs via Dehydrating (or Fast Air
Drying):
For
detailed instructions on drying herbs using a dehydrator, click here.
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A dehydrator simply forces warm, dry
air
around
your food to remove the
water faster. If you are going to purchase a dehydrator make sure you
get one
with a fan (instead of just heat) and temperature control (which saves
those poor citrus peels from turning brown). Working with a dehydrator
is so nice for drying herb. You don't have all the area restrictions -
you only need
enough room for the unit, close to an electrical outlet. |
Simply spread your herb loosely on the trays,
stack them
in the unit, adjust temperature, turn it on and walk away. Check about
every half hour and remove any dried herb to speed up the drying of
what
remains inside. As an extra bonus you get the wonderful slight scent of
the herb in the air (I LOVE drying mint leaves).
Every unit is a little different so read the
instructions before use. Most of them have a temperature setting for
drying herbs - start with their recommendation and make your own
adjustments from there.
When are the dried herbs ready?
Your dried herb is ready when; leaves and some flowers get crunchy,
twigs and stems break with a snap, seeds and nuts can be turned into a
powder that doesn't clump together easily, berries and some flowers
will be like a box of raisins that's been left open for a day.
Drying
Herbs - additional, off this web site, information.
There
are other wonderful things that herbs are being used
for. The websites below are filled with useful information.
New Treatment for Diabetes Types
- I found this website very informative concerning the use of
Bioenergetics (using the energies of herbs). A must read if
you have
diabetes.
FUNNY:
Don't ever try to dehydrate popcorn. I believe this is
how
the hot air popper was discovered. Don't ask how I know this - just
trust that it's not a good idea.
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All
information, shared on
this web site, is for enjoyment and study only and is NOT meant to
diagnose or treat any medical condition. Only your
health care professional is qualified to diagnose or treat medical
conditions. Do not risk your health! Just because
something is 'natural' does NOT make it safe. Do not, under
any
circumstance, ingest or use herbs in any form
without consulting your Doctor. If you do, you do so
at
your OWN RISK.
Web Site
Content (text, graphics, look and feel) are Copyright Protected © All
Rights Reserved 2009, Sandy Marie.
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