Growing your own fresh herbs is a wonderful way to save money. But, we always end up with more than we will need for any one recipe. Drying your herbs is a great way to use all of your herb harvest and not waste your gardening efforts.
This process is for flat leaf or curly parsley, or cilantro. Cilantro can be dried but doesn't retain its bite. If you have a lot of cilantro and don't want to have to throw it out then I would dry it. Coriander seeds are what the cilantro leaf comes from. Ground coriander seeds are a wonderful spice to have in your repertoire for your favorite Mexican dishes rather than dried cilantro.
Pull the leaves off the stems and mince them well.
Put the minced leaves in a fine mesh strainer and run under water for 30 seconds until the water runs clear and no longer is green. This process washes the chlorophyll off the leaves. If you don't do this step, the leaves will turn brown and the flavor of the herb is bland and can even be bitter.
Spread the washed leaves onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Don't use paper towels because the herbs dry into the paper towels and it makes it difficult to get them off in the end.
Set the herbs out to dry for a few days and viola, freshly dried herbs! Store in a jar with a lid or in a plastic bag.
1. Oregano can be left on the stems to dry. Place stems on a parchment lined baking sheet and set out to dry. Once the leaves are dry, Pull them off to store.
2. Rosemary should be removed from the stem before drying. Just pull the leaves off in the opposite direction from how they grow and place them on a parchment lined baking sheet to dry.
3. Basil can be dried by removing the leaves from the stems and laying them out on a parchment lined baking sheet. This is also true for spinach.
4. Thyme can be dried on the stem on a parchment lined baking sheet. Remove the leaves once they are dry.
*All of these herbs can be dried in a dehydrator. The heat should not exeed 100 degrees and the drying time will take about 24 hours for the large leaves and rosemary. The smaller leaves and chopped parsley will dry quicker.
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