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Fresh herbs are great, and that's usually my first preference. Sometimes, though, you can't always guarantee they'll be available. Or maybe you've got an herb plant that's overproducing, and want to save some for later, or give some to other people. This is where drying things comes in. As somebody who doesn't really have a clean place anywhere to hang-dry or sun-dry without mischievous kitties using it as a toy, here's my method to drying herbs quickly indoors. Note: I haven't tried this method with roots, flowers, bark or thick stems. Only leaves. And though this process does things in a clean enough way to store for actual consumption, stuff intended for incense, etc. may not require so much attention.
1. Take your fresh leaf material. Make sure you don't have any of it that's too gross-looking for you to want to use, such as discoloration etc. If the leaves are still on a stem, go ahead and pull it all off. Here's a trick to do it quickly that I learned in high school culinary class, works with many plants:
2. Put leaves into a bowl, add water. With clean hands, slosh them around and rinse them out. Drain the water, rinse and repeat. (Pun not intended) Do this till you don't see any dirty bits on any of the leaves.
3. Get a sizable piece of paper towel, and lay these leaves out in a flat layer. Preferably, none will be on top of each other, because that lets moisture stay in between them.
4. Put another paper towel layer on top, and gently press to pat dry. Alternatively, use just one longer piece and only lay out the leaves on one half of it. Then fold over like a taco.
5. If you wanna cut these leaves up into smaller pieces, now's the time. I often don't bother, depending on the leaves and what I'm using them for, so your choice. If not, skip this step.
6. Once they're all generally drier than they were after rinsing, (This doesn't have to be perfect) transfer to a plate or something lined with fresh paper towel. Put this away in some sort of safe space, where you know it's not gonna get messed with or dirtied in any way. I store in the microwave, because it's the only cat-free space in the house that qualifies.
7. Leave it be for at least a few hours to air-dry, till there's visible wilting and a little shriveling up taking place. Things like basil, mint, and other plants in the same family may need longer. Their leaves can be tricky.
8. Nuke 'em! More specifically, put in the microwave for about 15-20 seconds at a time. Watch carefully, and make sure no popping or noticeable steam happens. If so, they're not ready yet.
9. Keep microwaving for these short and careful periods of time, checking between sessions till it's all completely dry and you can't feel any moisture.
10. Once you're 100% sure it's all very thoroughly drier than Hillary Clinton's sagging cooch, store in an airtight container. You can use a jar if you wanna be fancy. I have no class, and often just go for a sandwich baggie labeled with Sharpie like I'm some teenager hiding weed.
11. Store in a cool, dark place and use whenever.
1. Take your fresh leaf material. Make sure you don't have any of it that's too gross-looking for you to want to use, such as discoloration etc. If the leaves are still on a stem, go ahead and pull it all off. Here's a trick to do it quickly that I learned in high school culinary class, works with many plants:
2. Put leaves into a bowl, add water. With clean hands, slosh them around and rinse them out. Drain the water, rinse and repeat. (Pun not intended) Do this till you don't see any dirty bits on any of the leaves.
3. Get a sizable piece of paper towel, and lay these leaves out in a flat layer. Preferably, none will be on top of each other, because that lets moisture stay in between them.
4. Put another paper towel layer on top, and gently press to pat dry. Alternatively, use just one longer piece and only lay out the leaves on one half of it. Then fold over like a taco.
5. If you wanna cut these leaves up into smaller pieces, now's the time. I often don't bother, depending on the leaves and what I'm using them for, so your choice. If not, skip this step.
6. Once they're all generally drier than they were after rinsing, (This doesn't have to be perfect) transfer to a plate or something lined with fresh paper towel. Put this away in some sort of safe space, where you know it's not gonna get messed with or dirtied in any way. I store in the microwave, because it's the only cat-free space in the house that qualifies.
7. Leave it be for at least a few hours to air-dry, till there's visible wilting and a little shriveling up taking place. Things like basil, mint, and other plants in the same family may need longer. Their leaves can be tricky.
8. Nuke 'em! More specifically, put in the microwave for about 15-20 seconds at a time. Watch carefully, and make sure no popping or noticeable steam happens. If so, they're not ready yet.
9. Keep microwaving for these short and careful periods of time, checking between sessions till it's all completely dry and you can't feel any moisture.
10. Once you're 100% sure it's all very thoroughly drier than Hillary Clinton's sagging cooch, store in an airtight container. You can use a jar if you wanna be fancy. I have no class, and often just go for a sandwich baggie labeled with Sharpie like I'm some teenager hiding weed.
11. Store in a cool, dark place and use whenever.
