Drying Herbs | Chickens in the Road

Oct
24

Drying herbs is such a pretty job. And I feel very farmerish in the process. Yes, farmerish is a word. I made it up. If you use it a few times, it sounds right.

I use twist-ties to bunch herbs, then clip them to a clothesline with laundry pins. All you need is a cool, dry, dark spot. Which this is not. It’s a sun-splattered cellar porch. But, wait! I can solve this problem by clipping paper bags over the bunches to block light. Also, as gorgeous as herbs look while they’re drying, the paper bag covers will keep dust from accumulating. Once they’re dried (which should take a couple of weeks), I’ll crumble the herbs into small baggies, label them, then place all the baggies inside a larger freezer bag for longterm storage. If the kids don’t mess around with them (”Why are these WEEDS hanging in here???”) and if my feline sidekicks don’t leap at them from nearby perches as if I have strung up new toys just for their pleasure and if I don’t forget about them.

Super Farmhouse Girl can’t solve everything.

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12 Responses
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10-24
6:26
am

Mmm, I’ll bet they smell wonderful!

I did that with mint a few years ago…then never used the dried mint. Haven’t tried growing any other herbs because, gee, I don’t cook!

-Kim

Kim A. - Reply
10-24
8:30
am

Ok, I have to share my slightly less pretty but still effective method of herb drying in the summer: Take a big towel, spread it out on the back seat of your car, lay out the herbs, and roll up the windows. :thumbsup: It takes about a day or two and makes your car smell super pretty too. Then when they’re dry, you just roll them in the towel and take them inside. I grind mine up with a pestal and stick them in little baggies with harvest dates on them.

I guess this method only works if it’s hot outside though.

Sonja Foust - Reply
10-24
8:33
am

Thanks for the idea, Sonja!

Suzanne - Reply
10-24
10:18
am

I string mine up in my kitchen, and put them in old spice bottles. Takes two or three days.

Alice Audrey - Reply
10-24
2:56
pm

I hang my herbs in the attic, then crumble them into old spice bottles.
Nothing better than your own herbs for cooking.

Estella - Reply
10-24
4:11
pm

I’ve done basil. Maybe the paper bags should be clipped with the clothes pins – it would still cover them but if they crumbled or the cats or kids bump into them, the leaves would fall into the bags. just an idea.

catslady - Reply
10-24
8:21
pm

You are SuperFarmGirl! I’ve never dried herbs before, but I have dried roses. Does that count? *g*

Have a great evening!

Brandy - Reply
10-24
11:03
pm

Oh neat! The only thing I dry is seeds.

Lis - Reply
10-25
9:01
am

I like the word farmerish! :thumbsup: My mom takes care of the herbs.

Susan - Reply
5-13
5:32
pm

Wow, they ARE so pretty…WHERE do you find the TIME to do all that you do!!! AND THE ENERGY!!!!! Maybe that’s it = the ENERGY! I guess it comes from just LOVING what you do!

Laughing at the comments “if my kids don’t get in them…what are those weeds hanging in there…and if the cats don’t find them to be a new exciting toy”…LOL )

Donna - Reply
12-27
6:59
am

I’m going to try to dry herbs for the first time on wire strung across the roof of the porch in the shade. I’m going to dry sunflower heads there too, if I can rescue them from the wild birds. They’ll make great winter chicken feed.

Sheryl - Reply
3-1
8:22
pm

Last spring I decided I wanted to raise my own sage. I went to the feed store and bought a pot that had 4 plants. (They didnt have any with one in it) Anyway they flourished. I picked over the sage about once a week and dried it. I furnished several members of my family and most of my church with sage..The way I dried mine was to pick the leaves off of the stems and place it on a large stainless steel almost flat sheet pan and put it in a 200 degree oven for about 2 hours then turn the oven off and let them sit. My grandmother had a wood cook stove and she put it in the warming oven
I live in southern West Virginia close to Peterstown.

Jane Cline - Reply