If you’re reading this article, I imagine you have an abundance of herbs on your hands and are looking for a way to minimize food waste. Drying herbs in a dehydrator is such a simple and quick way to fill up your spice cabinet with flavorful, homegrown herbs that not only flavor your favorite dishes, but also helps you save money on groceries!
Growing and preserving your own herbs is probably one of the most economical things you can do to save money on your grocery bill. Many new gardeners and homesteaders start raising their own food in an effort to supplement their food budgets, but while growing vegetables is fun, growing herbs is the biggest bang for your buck! Plus, it can be done by anyone no matter whether you live in an apartment or out in the countryside.
When to harvest herbs for drying
The best time to harvest herbs for dehydrating is in the morning just after the dew has dried, but before the heat of the day. Annual herbs can be harvested until frost. Perennial herbs can be harvested until about a month before your anticipated first frost. This allows the plant to harden off ahead of winter and live to continue growing for you again next year. To maximize the oil concentration (aka flavor) of the herb in the leaves, you’ll want to harvest them before they go to flower.
My favorite time to harvest the bulk of my herbs is in late spring/early summer as the rest of the vegetable garden is still growing and not at full production yet. This means I’m able to get this food preservation task out of the way before I have piles of vegetables awaiting canning and freezing. Definitely spreads out the workload and makes for a less overwhelming food preservation season.
When harvesting your herbs, be sure to dust off the cobwebs, dirt, or other grit that may have clung to some of the leaves. Generally, we don’t find it necessary to wash our herbs before dehydrating, but sometimes a heavy downpour will splash some dirt up onto lower lying leaves. If you do wish to wash your herbs first, you will want to let them drip dry on a towel for a little bit to let the extra moisture evaporate before placing into the dehydrator.
Drying herbs in a dehydrator
If you’re going to be drying herbs in bulk, you’ll probably want to start drying herbs in a dehydrator as it greatly speeds up the process and eliminates mold concerns.
- Simply lay the herb sprigs or leaves in a single layer on the trays.
- Place them into the dehydrator and allow them to dry on the low (95F-110F) setting.
- Depending on the moisture content of the leaves, they will be ready in 4-24 hours.
- When they are fully dry, the leaves should be dry and crispy. Any residual moisture could lead to mold issues in storage, so make sure they are dry!
- If you didn’t strip the leaves before dehydrating, strip the leaves off the stem over a bowl or jar to catch the dried leaves.
- Label everything! Dried leaves can all start to look the same after a while.
What type of dehydrator should I use
Dehydrators come in several different designs and price ranges, but here are two of the most common for home food preservation.
As the name implies, this style of dehydrator has several trays that stack on top each other. The heat source is usually on the bottom of the dehydrator and the warm air rises to vent out the top. The pros of this dehydrator is they are usually quite economical and a great option when first getting into drying herbs in a dehydrator. However, sometimes items dry unevenly and you may have to add the extra step of rotating the trays during the dehydrator process.
This style has trays that slide into the dehydrator and the heat source is usually in the back of the box. While having the heat source more central allows for a more even dehydrating process, this style usually comes with a steeper price tag.
Over the years, Farmer Nathan and I have used both styles. We bought our first stacking tray dehydrator for $30 at Aldi one summer and used it for many years. When we began getting more serious about food preservation, we found a used 5-tray Excalibur dehydrator on Facebook Marketplace and are still using this one today.
How to dry herbs without a dehydrator
No special equipment is required for this method. Simply hang the herbs upside down in a dry spot and let nature dry it for you. We’d recommend using a rubber band to securely tie the bunches as the stems often shrink while drying. Also attaching a paper bag is a great way to catch any leaves that fall off during the drying process. You don’t want to find your herbs crumbled on the floor! If your house isn’t too humid, most herbs will be dry in 1-2 weeks. To test, simply crush a leaf in your palm, if it crumbles they’re ready.
How to Store Dried Herbs
Any airtight bottle or container will do the trick. We often save the glass herb, sauce, and jelly jars and bottles from the grocery store to store our home dried herbs in. Don’t forget to label! Whether or not you crumble the leaves is up to you. If you want to preserve as much of the flavor as possible, avoid crushing the leaves until you are ready to use them. However, if storage space is an issue, it is okay to crush and crumble the leaves to fit more into a jar.
After you’ve jarred your dried herbs, store them in a cool, dry place away from too much sunlight and heat. Both will degrade the quality of the herbs over time. Most herbs can keep for a year if stored properly.