Drying herbs - the blindingly obvious!

[MrsD'ville mkII]

I nipped out into the garden for something or other, and as you do came back in with a couple of sprigs of herbs (dill, love the stuff!). I was wondering how to dry them, not really sure what to do. Left them on the side while I went to take some stuff down from drying in the utility room, and had a flash of inspiration as I took the rags off the sock dryer. Now have several rags and two sprigs of dill drying in there!

I'm really pleased I've found this solution as the herbs are all threatening to bolt and I wanted to dry quite a bit while they were still nice I'm sure Ish-ers have been doing this for years but it's only just occurred to me!

[Odsox]

Quite right ... just hang bunches preferably in a draft.

Dare I say it, you can also dry herbs in a microwave

[JR]

We have a rail in the kitchen, we tie the herbs in bunches and hang them off it. We have some onions and garlic platts hanging in the same way, rest are in the rafters in the shed in a similar fashion.

[hedgewitch]

I prefer to freeze herbs for culinary use and dry them for making teas and ointments with. I just hang them up in my scullery as it is dry and airy.

Light bulb moments like that MrsD'ville mkII are great aren't they.

[mrsflibble]

I dry woody herbs, but I freeze fleshy ones.
DRY
thyme
oregano
marjoram
sage
bay
lavendar
rosemary

FREEZE
parsley
corriandar
basil

etc.

[lsm1066]

I freeze them all. But I cut off seed heads and put them in paper bags to dry for next year's seeds.

Lynne

[MrsD'ville mkII]

Interesting comments about freezing, I hadn't thought to do that with home grown herbs though have done it with bought fresh herbs. I've just hung up more dill, rosemary and parsley to dry which I'm intending to put in glass jars for long term storage. No shortage of herbs, though the parsley went from nothing to bolted this year, so I'll see how they get on and maybe experiment with freezing.

Sorry, verbal squits today!

[possum]

I dry woody herbs, but I freeze fleshy ones.
DRY
thyme
oregano
marjoram
sage
bay
lavendar
rosemary

FREEZE
parsley
corriandar
basil

etc.

most of those are ever green here - including parsley - we have so much of the stuff we mow it.

[Peggy Sue]

If only I could grow enough Dill to even make one sauce let alone freeze some

I ahve sewn 2 full packets and each time the pot looks almost ready to cut, I wait a day and it dies- I just one one lovely sauce to go with salmon...just one!!

[SarahJane]

I freeze my basil in ice cube trays so that i can just take out the amount i need to go in soups etc.

[mrsflibble]

One tip I got from a magazine was to make muslin bags; make them a little bigger than the bunch of your herbs and place the herbs in it. then hang in the draft. it stops little bits falling off all over your floor and it worked on my last lot of rosemary.