Drying Herbs

One of our goals for 2026 was to increase our garden harvest, and try to extend the amount of food we can preserve through the winter months. Last year, we played with some basic pickling, freezing and refrigerator canning. Our newest journey is drying herbs!

What Herbs To Dry?

In early spring, we already had an abundance of perennial herbs like Sage, Oregano, and Tarragon, and our parsley plant was growing huge. So these are what we started with, however any herb you have growing can be dried. Rosemary, Thyme, and Basil are also great dried.

How To Dry?

There are a few different ways you can dry herbs. Some people like using a dehydrator, some use an oven on low. I wanted to do it the old fashioned way – hanging to dry. This doesn’t require any special equipment. It does take longer, but we were in no hurry. Before drying it is important to properly process the herbs. Triple wash them to make sure there is no dirt or bugs, and remove any bad leaves or stems. If your herbs have started to go to seed, and are producing flowers, pinch the flower stems off. Make sure the herbs are completely air dry before hanging. You can lay them in a single layer on our kitchen towels or paper towels to remove any excess water.

What Do I Need?

You could go fancy if you wanted, but the simplest way is to use whatever twine or string you have to hang your herbs.

I didn’t have any string but had some leftover wool. I found the wool didn’t pull as tightly as I would have liked so I actually secured the herb bundles with an elastic band and then used the string to hang them. I used paper bags to cover the herbs to prevent them getting any dust or debris on them. You can use clothes pins, clips, or just tie the string to something for them to hang from. Tie the herbs at the stem end and hang them upside down.

How Long Does It Take?

Earlier in the winter I dried catnip that we had growing indoors in our sunroom. It took about 2-3 weeks for it to get dry enough that we could crumble it in our hands. Our cats loved it! It may take longer depending on the type of herb and leaf and how much water it holds. It also may depend on where you are drying it. I chose a quiet closet in our pantry which is cool and dark. I would suggest checking them every week. You will know when they are done when they are brittle and crispy to the touch.

How To Store the Dried Herbs

Just like those you buy from the grocery store, I believe the best way to store dried herbs is in small glass jars. The key to them not going bad is to ensure that they are completely dry. If you have a lot of herbs, you could use a vacuum sealer and freeze them. They should last 1-3 years. Make sure to label them so you know what they are!

Once we start harvesting our summer produce we plan to do more pickling, freezing and canning. Check back for upcoming blogs on more food preservation and tips.