Wednesday, October 29, 2008

DIY: Quick Dry Your Herbs


This technique is perfect for sage, oregano, thyme and rosemary. And so stinkin' easy.

Collect about a cup or two of fresh herbs. I dried oregano, rosemary and sage (pictured above).

Place the herbs between two paper towels and microwave for about 2 minutes. Check. Need a little more time? Do it in small, 30 second increments until the herbs are dry.

Let the herbs sit out a bit, on the paper towel. Then, grind and put in storage containers.

I happily ended up grinding them between my fingertips last night. You can also use a pepper grinder or can buy a grinder specifically for herbs. Do what ever suits you, your budget and your energy level!

Working with each herb during an October evening seemed so on time. They were just the scents I craved with winter coming on - oregano had me thinking about hearty tomato sauces, the rosemary brought on ideas of roast chickens and the sage was all about Thanksgiving and stuffings.

Libby - Was this helpful?

7 comments:

CanadianGardenJoy said...

I have to write this down .. I have been patiently drying my rosemary, thyme, dill in paper bags on top of the fridge where it is dry and warm .. now I can do it in the microwave ? Holy Crap !!!
Yahhhhooooo !
Thanks
Joy : )

Tracey said...

Joy - You just made my day. I am so glad I could be helpful. I am all about the quick and easy these days.

Libby said...

THANK YOU SO MUCH! I was imagining a whole Martha Stewart process where you bundle them with cute ribbons and hang them from the ceiling of your kitchen, lolol! Microwaving is so much easier :) Dumb question, after drying, you strip the herbs off the stems, right?

Tracey said...

Yep. That was the fun/relaxing part for me. Just strip 'em and crumble 'em. Store in your favorite spice jar or mason jar . . .

Tree hugging said...

I have another unique technique...

I sit them on the dashboard of my car. (They also make my car smell nice) Usually a few hours is enough. I bet I'm the only guy in the world that does this sort of thing with his car!

(I've got some white sage drying as I write this)

Tracey said...

Lonnie - I need to try that, too. My car needs all the help it can get - scent-wise - between dogs and baby and whatever else . . . :)

Bruce Skean said...

thanks -- so, lonnie - are you hungry every time you get in the car though? hah!