drying herbs

I love the plentiful fresh herbs that come with summer. My weekly CSA farm share with The Home Ranch has been filled with fresh oregano, chives, mint and sage which has been such a treat. If you want to preserve the taste of summer, consider drying your herbs so you can use them later in the year. Courtney, the master grower from The Home Ranch, provided me with these directions for drying herbs. I now have bundles of herbs hanging all over my kitchen! The smell is divine!

Directions

Any amount of leafy herbs, such as sage, basil, tarragon, thyme, oregano. etc.

Paper towels

String (optional)

Airtight container

Rinse the herbs to clean them, and pat to dry with paper towels. Find a place in your kitchen with good airflow and constant temperature; here, lay your herbs flat on paper towels, and leave them to dry for a couple weeks (the exact time will depend on the type of herb). If you have herbs with woody stems, you can also choose to tie your herbs together into a bundle with string and hang them stem-side-up until they are dried out.

Once the herbs are brittle to the touch (they will crumble into flakes or powder when crushed), store in an airtight container and add to your spice collection.

Enjoy!