I’m using a number of different ways of drying my herbs. After a mega harvest yesterday and this morning I’ve got big piles of different herbs I’ll be using for different things. I’m going to put them into sealing polythene bags – I know glass jars may well be better for the purists, but I’ve not enough room to store a large number of glass jars, especially as my shelves are already full with the summer fruit in kilner jars. My method depends on the amount of herb I need to dry and whether I need to dry it on stalks or can strip the leaves. DON’T wash the herbs and harvest when dry.

Microwaving

I’m microwaving the leaves-only herbs – started this morning with lemon balm – a huge pile of harvested plants produced only a small microwave dish full off the leaves. For this amount I found that 2 minutes 30 seconds was plenty. If you use 1 minute followed by a series of 30 second pulses, you shouldn’t overdo it.

Air Drying

I have to air dry the lavender as its on stalks and I have a great deal of it. I’m not doing it all at once, as some plants are still attracting lots of bees and I don’t want to disappoint them. When cut I stick them in vases and put in airy rooms out of direct sun. They will dry in a week or so.

Oven Drying

I like to use the oven for the needles of Rosemary. Put the little stalks on an oven tray and leave for an hour or so in a very low oven. Obviously you leave it in until dry, but don’t forget it!