How To Dry Herbs

Hi guys! I'm posting a bit late today as the lazy bug bit me (again). Summer is almost over here in our country as we have occasional rain showers here and there but before summer finally ends, I would like to share with you a method I use to enjoy my favorite summer herb, the basil, during the rainy season. Basil is the perfect herb for tomato-based dishes which I really, really love, i.e., baked macaroni and pizza, but as much as I want to have fresh basil all year round, basil plants do not do well during the rainy days plus there are some recipes which do better with the dry version of the herbs so I try to dry my own herbs from my humble garden. Drying herbs is simple. The only thing you need is lots and lots of sunshine, so why not exploit the summer heat and dry up some basil to prepare for those rainy days.

For this, we will need the following:

1. Basil or herbs of your choice

2. A woven bamboo tray

3. Food cover

First, harvest your herbs. I chose basil because it is my favorite herb but you can definitely go ahead and harvest herbs of your choice like thyme, sage, or rosemary. Basically, every herb can be dried so go ahead and pick you favorite. If you did not water your herbs the morning before harvest, it is always best to wash the leaves before drying to remove any dirt it might have. After washing the leaves, place them on a bamboo tray like this or if you do not have a bamboo tray, any shallow container would work as long as the leaves are not overlapping each other.

Next, all you have to do is place the cover over your tray and place it in a sunny spot. Above the roof would be a perfect spot but impractical as you would have to occasionally check these so I placed mine just in our terrace where we have lots of sunshine until 10 in the morning then I place them outside near my garden for direct exposure to sunlight.

After waiting and waiting, this is what I got. You will have to turn the leaves every now and then for even drying. It took me approximately less than week to dry these but drying time will absolutely depend on how much time you expose them to direct sunlight. The herbs should be slightly brown, not burnt, and can be easily crumbled into pieces. Those are the signs that your herbs are ready for storing :)