O/T~Drying Spices

DebbieH

DebbieH

Cathlete
My daughter planted me a spice garden for Mother's day in a long planter box. It is flourshing bitime! Can someone give me some pointers on drying the spices? I have Italian Parsley, Garlic Chives, Sweet Basil, Oregano and my favorite, Cilantro. I have used them fresh in sauces and salads but would like to dry some for the winter. Thanks for any ideas.
Your-Friend-In-Fitness, DebbieH http://www.smilies-world.de/Smilies/Smilies_klein_1/wavey.gif If You Get The Choice To Sit It Out Or Dance...I Hope You DANCE!!!
 
I had a bunch of extra parsley last year and this is what I did. I washed it all first and the put it on sheet pans and put it in a 200 degree oven until they were dry. I would check on them every 15 minutes or so and see how they're doing and rearrange or flip them until dry. I then crumbled the leaves off the stems, sent it all through a strainer and put them in jars. I suppose you could take all the leave off the stems first, but that's sort of tedious. My parsley dried the best of everything I tried.

HTH.
 
There is also a way of drying herbs in the microwave, wrapping them in a paper towel. I'm not sure how long they are supposed to be zapped, but you might find some info on the net by searching "microwav dry herbs" (I use "microwav" to catch both "microwave" and "microwaving".

By the way, NO topic is off topic in this forum!
 
I like to dry things naturally so the heat doesn't destroy the nutrients in the herb. I just tie them in small bunches with a little string (I tie a bunch at each end of a string about 16 inches long and drape them over a thicker rope strung from the ceiling or a long rod (yard stick maybe). They will dry (depending on the weather) in about 2-3 days, but sometimes faster if it's really dry. The idea is take them down when they are really dry and can be crumbled into a bag and the color is still bright and vibrant. You'll notice many herbs that you get from the store are almost brown. Your own herbs will be much nicer and have a much higher nutrient value.

Incidently, I just picked and dried pregnancy herbs. We picked nettles, alfalfa and comfrey and I order raspberry from some friends in the New York mountains who dry them naturally. Weeds can have some great medicinal value - SO DON'T COMPLAIN ABOUT THE WEEDS!! Just had to add that!! :) :) :) :)

Briee
 
Thanks Briee!

I thought about drying some naturally by hanging upside down. As far as the color goes, you are right. The ones I dried yesterday still have a vibrant green color crushed in the baggies! Thanks for the extra tip. How are you feeling? Do you find that the herbs help you with your pregnancy/sickness? Wish I had known about them some 2-3 decades ago! I was soooo sick with both pregnancies. (The ONLY time in my life I get sick, thank goodness!) Thanks again!
Your-Friend-In-Fitness, DebbieH http://www.smilies-world.de/Smilies/Smilies_klein_1/wavey.gif If You Get The Choice To Sit It Out Or Dance...I Hope You DANCE!!!
 
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