Thrifty Thursday - Drying Herbs

Did you plant any herbs in your garden this year? Many herbs are very easy to grow, and can be grow all year around inside on a sunny windowsill.

If you're harvesting your herbs outside, you might be wondering what to do with the excess before the first frost comes in and kills your plants. If you own a dehydrator, it's fairly easy to make dry your herbs and spices to make your own. If you don't though, there are several other ways you can dry them.

After washing your herbs thoroughly and letting them dry, you can place them single file on a cookie sheet and bake them in your oven on a low setting (200 degrees) for at least several hours. When the herbs are brittle to the touch, and begin crumbling when you touch them, they are dry.

If you'd like to save on the cost of electricity however, there's a fun project you can do with your kids. Choose a sturdy cardboard box, and remove the top portion. Line the inside with aluminum foil. Then you can place your herbs inside, and cover with an old glass dish or use plastic wrap across the top of the box. Place this in the bright sun, and allow to dry fully. It can take a day or two, and you may want to bring the solar dryer inside when dusk arrives so as not to attract moisture or critters.

You can also place the cookie tray on the backseat of a hot car. After a day or so, it's usually been hot enough that your herbs are dried and ready to be stored away for winter! (This project is also a great reminder and shows kids why you should never leave a pet in the car on a hot day, even for a few minutes!)

Another way to dry out herbs is to bundle them up at the stems, and hang them upside down in the window or near a heat source. Be careful if you have a lot of dust coming through in the area, as you don't want your clean herbs to get dusty!

When the herbs are dry, you can store them in old spice jars - just be sure they have been aired out properly before re-using them, as you don't want to mix taco seasoning smell with basil. ;) You can also use small jelly jars, too. If you have more than you think you'll use over the next winter, consider fancying up the container and giving it as a small hostess gift or gifting come the holidays.