drying herbs

[vicren]

does anyone know which are best for drying? also i have grown my herbs in window boxes except for mint which i have grown in a pot of its own as advised to can the herbs be left outside over the winter, do any need to be cut back? am growing chives, basil, thyme, corriander, sage and oregano

[Lesley Jay]

Hi Vicren! Welcome to our forum!

I am not a herb expert but Basil is a tender annual and so is Coriander, so they won't survive winter. I leave my Chives outside and don't do anything to it at all. It is always there the following year. My herb book says that Thyme is sensitive to frost so needs covering, Sage needs mulching around the base of the plant in severe winters and Oregano should be okay.

As for drying herbs, have you tried freezing them? Put them into a bag, freeze and then they will crumble up to use.

[vicren]

thanks foryour advise,it will be very helpful. there so much to find out about.

[Rosemary]

Vicren you can also dry herbs in the microwave. Put them on a piece of kitchen towel for 30 seconds on high, turn them over and keep giving them short blasts on high until they are dry.

[Lizald]

Hi All

I realise this thread's old and it's now past harvesting time, but I've only just joined, so please forgive me.

I'm posting this for completeness on anticipation of the harvesting season for 2008 and beyond hopefully, where people will be searching the forum for answers to this question.

I have a herb website and the preservation methods are varied - don't just think drying - although it's a perfectly good method.

There's lots of things to consider - oil, butter, jelly, sauce, growing indoors, freezing and varying sub-categories - the choice depends on how you intend to use your herbs through the 'off season'.

So - my advice is - first of all, decide how you want to use your herbs during the 'not growing' season, then decide on the method of having them available.

You can't make pesto out of dried basil

http://www.the-herb-guide.com/preserving-herbs.html

This page gives the general thoughts behind what you might want to look at and then there are methods and other categories give recipes.

Don't go mad is the basic premis - you're only looking at a few months before the herbs start to grow again and you can use them fresh - take a few minutes to work out how much you might reasonably expect to use - add a percentage for good measure and give away or sell the rest

Hope this is some help.

Bye for now

Regards

Liz