Drying Herbs

I have blogged quite a bit this summer about herbs in my learn an herb series. However, for most of us, we can only grow or find fresh herbs for a part of the year. Herb can be useful in teas, salves and baths all year long, so if you want access to herbs all year round, you will want to dry and store herbs during the summer when they are plentiful.
Drying herbs is easy. Cut the part of the herb you are using when it is at it's peak. For flowers this is when the flowers have opened and not started to die. For other parts of the herb, check the web to find out the best time to harvest.
Line a cookie sheet with a paper towel, lay herbs on the paper towel so that they are spread out and not touching or minimally touching. Cover with another paper towel. I actually rarely ever have paper towels, and I would think this step could be done using kitchen towel, but I have never actually tried it myself. I just happened to have some leftover paper towels from my home birth.
Once you prepared the tray, turn on your oven light and stick the tray in. The heat from the lamp is actually the perfect temperature to dry herbs. The downside to this is that they take a day or two to fully dry, so you need to make sure to remove them before preheating your oven!! Alternately, you can dry herbs outside, but they shouldn't be in direct sun, and the wind can easily blow them, so you need to pay fairly close attention.
Once the herbs feel dry, store in glass jars with lids. Check jars a few days after drying to make sure there is no condensation inside the jars. If there is, the herbs need to dry more. Store in a cool dry place. herbs will be the most potent when they are freshest, so if using for medicinal purposes try to use within 6 months to a year at the longest.

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