Our kitchen is two and a half metres wide and has exactly one window. For years I assumed drying herbs was something that happened in other people’s farmhouses — and then I hung four bunches of mint from a curtain rail and discovered the whole thing needs less room, and far less equipment, than anyone lets on.
What You’ll Need
10 minutes · 2–3 weeks drying · Very easy
- Herbs cut in the morning, after the dew
- Garden twine or thin string
- A rail, hook, or length of dowel
- Somewhere dark and airy
- Paper bags, if it is dusty
- Clean jars with tight lids
The method
01
Cut in the morning, not at noon
After the dew has gone but before the sun is properly up. The oils are highest then, which is the difference between herbs that still smell of something in December and herbs that smell of hay.
02
Tie small, tie loose
Bunches no thicker than your thumb. Anything larger traps moisture in the middle and turns brown from the inside — the single most common way this goes wrong.
03
Hang out of the light
Direct sun bleaches both colour and flavour. A dim corner with moving air beats a bright windowsill every time, even though the windowsill photographs far better.
04
Wait, then strip and jar
Two to three weeks, until a leaf crumbles rather than folds. Strip the leaves whole and crush them only when you cook — surface area is the enemy of everything worth keeping.
Seasonal Rituals
The rail above the sink
It was meant to be temporary. Three summers later it is the first thing anyone comments on when they walk into the kitchen, and I have quietly stopped pretending it is a stopgap.
What is worth drying, and what really is not
Rosemary, thyme, oregano, sage, mint and bay all dry beautifully and keep for a year in a dark jar. Basil, coriander, chives and parsley do not — they lose almost everything and you are better off freezing them in oil. I dried an entire crop of basil in my first summer here and used it, reluctantly, until March.
✻ Note from Linnea
Label the jars with the month, not just the herb. Everything looks identical by February and nothing is sadder than a mystery jar of grey-green dust.
Questions, Answered
Can I use the oven or a dehydrator instead?
You can — 40°C with the door propped open, roughly two hours. It is faster and noticeably flatter in flavour, so I keep it for rescuing herbs on a damp week.
How long do dried herbs actually last?
About a year for leaves, closer to two for seeds and bark. If you cannot smell it through an open jar from arm’s length, it has stopped earning its shelf.
My bunches went mouldy. What went wrong?
Almost always too thick, or too still. Thinner bunches, more moving air, and never hang them directly over a hob or kettle.
Drying your own this season?
Save the method for when the garden gets ahead of you in late August.
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