The Low-Tech Art of Drying Herbs

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There are always exceptions: With lavender, it is the flower buds that contain the most flavor and fragrance. If you want to preserve herbs for dried flower crafts, the right time for picking also varies, depending on the desired effect. For more detailed information on preserving herbs for crafts, see The Complete Book of Everlastings: Growing, Drying and Designing with Dried Flowers by Mark and Terry Silber (Knopf, 1988).

A Bunch of Tradition

The harvesting and bunching method is used to dry herbs quickly. (See Page 38 for information on what part of the herb to harvest.)

On a sunny day after the dew has dried, I cut herbs with a stout pair of kitchen scissors or clippers to the lowest set of clean leaves. (See “Cool Tools” on Page 20 for a guide to some of the best tools for this task.) I grasp a small bunch in one hand and cut the stems with the other, quickly checking each handful for weeds, discolored leaves, debris and insects — all of which are easiest to discard at this point. Then I lay down the stems in my gathering basket so that they all point in the same direction for easy bunching. I secure bunches with a thick rubber band wrapped tightly about 1 1/2 inches from the end of the stems. Rubber bands are far more efficient than string, because the bands contract as the herbs dry so bunches remain intact. You probably want between 12 and 15 stems to a bundle, depending on the type of herb, the amount of foliage and the thickness of the stems.

I hang these bunches from hooks on beams in our kitchen. I prefer them in the kitchen not only for their looks, but because I can keep a close watch on them. You can hang herbs in any room as long as it is cool, airy and doesn’t get direct sunlight. (Light destroys an herb’s essential oils and color. To see what light can do, check bottled dried herbs on supermarket shelves.) Wherever the herbs are hung, they should have plenty of room so air circulates around the bunches to speed up the drying process. Some people tie a brown paper bag around each bunch to prevent dust from accumulating on the herbs. I’ve tried this and find it cumbersome, and with dubious benefits. Besides, I like the panache that herbs and drying flowers add to kitchen decor. Decorating with dried bunches is a legitimate way to enjoy herbs, so let them hang and don’t feel guilty. If you intend to use them, of course, the bunches should be taken down as soon as they are dry because they will collect dust and could take up moisture during a damp period.

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