How to Dry Herbs and Flowers

Hang drying herbs.

I've always loved the look of small herbs bouquets hanging from a rough-hewn kitchen beam or a Still Room rafter. 
Unfortunately, I don't have either of those.

What I do have, is a basket. 

Or actually, it's more of a basket cover. I think it was originally intended to be put over food to keep flying pests out, but it works perfectly for my purposes. And it can be done with any old basket, doesn't have to be a special one, but one with a looser 'weave' is either to thread twine through.

Basically the apparatus is self-explanatory by way of photo. 

Get basket - hang from ceiling.

Drying Herbs

At the end of autumn, I want to grab all the herbs still growing in my garden and dry them. We can have early snows, and they put any remaining plants in jeopardy. 

So I cut my herbs and place them on a cooling rack (such as the kind used in baking) on a layer of cheesecloth and let all the day's moisture seep away. 

Then I bundle them in small bouquets, tie them at the base with cotton kitchen twine (some people prefer rubbers bands or twist-ties*) and simply hang them in a warm, dry area - away from direct sunlight.

I don't make the bundles too large, as I like air to circulate around.

When they're brittle to the touch, they're ready to use.
Store in zip lock or, as I prefer, small spice jars. It's best to leave them whole and crush as needed. This prolongs flavor.

 Once I have what I need for culinary purposes, I usually leave the last batch hanging...for decorative purposes in my kitchen. 

*Some people use wire twist-ties or rubber bands so that if the herbs shrink, they won't fall out of the twine. I've never had this happen, so I don't do it.

More Tips on Cutting and Drying Fresh Herbs:

• Cut before your herbs before they begin to flower, about six inches, never cut the whole stem

• Toss out any wilted or yellowed leaves, and shake herbs to get rid of any small insects

• If you need to wash your herbs, do so carefully - you can 'pat' them, so you don't remove essential oils

• Harvest your herbs mid-morning, when most of the morning dew has already evaporated. This is when the essential oils are freshest.

• Low moisture herbs are easiest to air dry - Rosemary, Thyme, Oregano etc

• You'll want to hang your herbs in a warm, dry spot with good air circulation and away from direct sunlight. If this does not describe your kitchen, you may want to actually do the drying in a different room, and then hang your last batch for decorative purposes in the kitchen, if that's where you want it.

• Often people will place a paper bag around their herbs as they dry, punching holes for circulation. This is too keep dust from collecting on the leaves.

Resource:

As I mentioned, you can use an upside down basket, or there are some hangers you can buy ready made for the purpose. They tend to go in and out of stock so I won’t add a link but maybe a quick google search will do the trick:)