How to Dry Herbs from the Garden

A healthy herb bed in midsummer gives you far more leaves than one kitchen can use fresh. Learning how to dry herbs lets you put that surplus in a jar instead of on the compost pile, and the simplest method needs nothing more than string, a nail and a dry room.

Air drying suits some herbs much better than others, so the first job is sorting what you grow into two groups. After that, the work is mostly a matter of cutting at the right moment and then leaving the bundles alone.

Which herbs air dry well

Sturdy herbs with small, firm, low-moisture leaves dry most easily in the air. Rosemary, thyme, oregano and sage all belong here. Their leaves hold little water to begin with, so they give it up steadily before anything has a chance to spoil.

Tender herbs with soft, moist leaves are a different case. Basil, mint, chives and parsley can mold if they dry slowly, so they need a faster method such as a food dehydrator, or freezing instead. The National Center for Home Food Preservation covers those options in its guide to drying herbs.

Cut at the right moment

What goes into the bundle decides what comes out of the jar. Choose clean, healthy stems, and cut them before the plant flowers, when the leaves carry the most flavor. Pass over anything yellowed, spotted or chewed.

A dry morning is the usual choice, once the dew has lifted but before the midday heat. Wet leaves take longer to dry, and that extra time is exactly what you are trying to avoid. For where to cut and how much the plant can spare, follow the guide to harvesting herbs, since the same cuts that fill your basket also keep the plant bushy.

Sage is a good first herb to try because its leaves are large enough to handle easily. If you are still building up your plant, the sage growing guide explains how to get enough growth for a real harvest.

How to air dry herbs step by step

1. Harvest. Cut healthy stems before flowering, long enough to tie together.
2. Shake. Give each handful a firm shake outdoors to dislodge insects and loose debris.
3. Rinse only if needed. Clean leaves can skip the water. If they are dusty or splashed with soil, rinse briefly in cool water, then pat them with a towel until the surface is dry.
4. Strip the base. Pull the leaves off the lowest inch or two (3 to 5 cm) of each stem so nothing is trapped under the tie.
5. Tie small bundles. Gather a few stems, about what fits between your thumb and forefinger, and tie the bare ends with twine or a rubber band. A rubber band tightens as the stems shrink.
6. Hang upside down. Hang the bundles tips-down in a warm, dry, airy place out of direct sun, with space between them.
7. Wait and test. Check the bundles every few days. The leaves are done when they crumble between your fingers.
8. Strip and store. Slide the dry leaves off the stems over a clean sheet of paper and put them into airtight containers.

Choosing a drying spot

Three things matter: warmth, dryness and moving air. A spare room, a covered porch in dry weather, a dry attic or a hallway with a door left open can all work. A steamy kitchen, a bathroom or a damp basement will not.

Keep the bundles out of direct sun. Strong light fades the color and takes flavor with it, so a bright window is a poor choice even though it is warm.

How long drying takes depends on the herb, the size of the bundle and the humidity of the air. In a dry climate small bundles may be ready in about a week, while in humid weather they can take much longer. If the air where you live stays humid for weeks, air drying may simply be too slow, and a faster method is the better choice.

Drying on a screen

Hanging is not the only way. Small leaves, short stems and loose sprigs dry well spread on a screen, which is handy for thyme trimmings and for sage leaves picked one at a time.

Use a clean window screen or a piece of mesh stretched over a frame, and prop it on blocks so air can reach the underside. Spread the herbs in a single layer with no overlapping, and turn them every day or two so they dry evenly. The same rules about warmth, shade and airflow apply.

Storing dried herbs

Make sure the leaves are fully dry before they go into a container. Anything still bendable or leathery needs more time, because moisture sealed into a jar leads to mold.

• Store leaves whole and crumble them only when you use them, since whole leaves hold their flavor longer.
• Use airtight containers, such as jars with tight lids.
• Keep the containers away from light and heat, in a cupboard rather than on a shelf above the stove.
• Label each one with the herb and the date.

Look at the jars during the first week. Droplets or fogging inside the glass mean the leaves were not dry enough, so spread them out again to finish.

What to do with tender herbs

If most of your surplus is basil, parsley, chives or mint, do not feel that air drying has failed you. These herbs simply hold too much water for a slow method, and a food dehydrator or the freezer suits them better.

Mint is the herb most gardeners end up with by the armful, because it spreads so quickly. Cutting it back hard and often is part of keeping it in bounds, and the mint growing guide shows how to manage a plant that produces more than you need.