As your Italian Herb Garden grows, you will want to preserve your herbal bounty for winter use.
Drying your herbs for winter use is a simple process. Do not be overwhelmed by instructions that make it sound complicated, or require you to purchase specialized equipment.
Home gardeners have been drying herbs for winter use for centuries without any specialized equipment. So relax, and let nature do its. work.
Harvesting Italian Herbs for Drying
The best time to harvest fresh herbs is in the morning, just after the dew has dried on your herb plants. Although if your schedule is not conducive to harvesting herbs in the morning, pick them whenever you can.
Also, herbs generally have the best flavor just before they start to flower. The flavor of the herbs tends to get stronger and the leaves tougher once the plant begins to bloom.
So, what if you’ve been away and your herbs have already flowered, maybe even have seed heads? Go ahead and dry them! Personally, I feel that the ‘perfect time’ for harvesting herbs is overrated anyway. The character of the older herb plants may be a little different than the younger herbs, but I’ve dried herbs in various stages of their growth and am always glad I did.
Snip off a bunch of stems or leaves for preserving. If you plan to continue growing and harvesting from your herb plant, harvest no more than one-third of the plant to ensure your herb plant will continue to thrive, and you can continue to harvest fresh herbs to use in your Italian cooking.
If you will not be overwintering your herb plants, and you are done with using the herbs fresh for the season, cut the entire plant down to preserve it for winter use in your Italian cooking.
Methods for Drying Italian Garden Herbs
If your harvested herb plants are dirty, rinse and dry them gently. I don’t suggest patting them dry, or using a spinner as those methods tend to bruise the leaves.
Method 1 – Air Drying Your Herbs
Lay out the leaves in a single layer, in a dry shaded area until the herb leaves are dry. Make sure you keep the herbs out of sunlight to retain the best flavor. Turn occasionally for even drying.
Flat Pan – Lay parchment paper or a tea towel on your flat pan (i.e. cookie sheet) so herbs don’t stick to the pan as they dry.
Drying Racks – Lay your herbs out to dry on drying racks — often made from window screening. This allows for air flow both below and above the herbs, for quicker drying.
Hanging Bouquets – Tie a bunch of herb stems together, and hang them upside down to dry. You can cover the herb bundles with a paper bag to keep them dust free.
Check the leaves often, and remove any that begin going moldy. This is also an indication that the area does not have enough air circulation or is too moist for proper drying.
When air drying, I often place the herbs near a heating vent (but not right over it, or too close for the herbs to fly away), to get some air circulation.
Air drying is the easiest and most economical method of drying your Italian herbs.
Method 2 – Oven Drying Your Herbs
Lay out your herb leaves in a single layer on a flat pan (e.g. cookie sheet). To prevent the herbs from sticking or reacting with the metal pan, line your pan with parchment paper.
Set your oven to the lowest setting, and check herbs for dryness every hour. You can gently turn them over for faster, more even drying. Be careful not to break the leaves too much.
If your oven does not go below 200°F / 95°C, leave the oven door slightly ajar when drying. Using higher temperatures may bake the herb leaves rather than drying them.
This process can take up to four hours for thicker leaves.
Method 3 – Dehydrator Herb Drying
Dehydrators do an excellent job of drying herbs. Follow the herb drying instructions that come with your dehydrator.
Method 4 – Microwave Herb Drying
Place your herb leaves between two sheets of paper towel. Microwave on high for 1 minute. Check and keep microwaving and checking every 30 seconds, until the herb leaves are dry.
The microwave method of herb drying works great when you have a relatively small quantity of herbs to dry at once, no space to lay out sheets of drying pans, or no time for the other methods.
Personal note: I was skeptical about using the microwave for drying herbs when I first learned about the method. So, I tried it. And it worked much better than I had anticipated. I dried a bunch of basil leaves in the microwave, and not only did they dry quickly, the basil also retained its bright green color.
Test Your Herbs for Dryness
Always test your herbs for dryness before storing. They should feel brittle and crumble when rubbed between your fingers. If the herbs do not crumble between your fingers, or there are some soft pieces remaining, then the herbs are not dry enough yet.
Storing Your Dried Italian Herbs
When your Italian herbs are dry, store them in an airtight container. By storing the herbs whole, you will preserve more of the herb flavor. Rub the herbs between your fingers or palms when you use them.
I like to use the glass canning jars, as they are convenient and easy to store. And they are inexpensive to purchase.
Check your dried herbs occasionally to make sure they are not starting to go soft, meaning they are absorbing moisture. If you cook regularly with your dried herbs, you will know when you use them whether they still crumble easily. For herbs you use on occasion only, make a point of checking them every so often.
To further ensure that your dried herbs stay dry throughout the winter, you can add one of the following to your storage jar with your herbs to help absorb any excess moisture: dry powdered milk, rice kernels, silica gel packet.
Most importantly, use the Italian herbs you so lovingly dried in all your winter cooking.
Happy growing,
Herb Garden Gal
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