How to Dry Herbs

Drying Oregano

Learning how to dry herbs is fun, easy, and economical. Do you grow and cook with your own fresh kitchen herbs? Drying is a great way to preserve them to use in the winter months. On this page I describe how to dry oregano. The same procedures work for most herbs.

There are two ways to dry herbs. Hanging the stems or pulling the leaves and drying them separate.

Drying herbs on the stem

Harvested Oregano.
Divide the oregano into small bunches.
Bind each bunch together. I find twist ties easiest but you can also use rubber bands or even string.
This is an optional step. Place each bunch in a lunch bag sized paper bag. This will keep the sun and dust off as the herbs dry. Use a stapler to bind the herb stems in the corner. This holds the bag on when it is hung. You could just hang the bunches without the bags. Be sure you hang them where they will not get full of dust.
Hang these bunches in a warm dry place until dry. The length of time it will take to dry will depend on your climate and temperature. I live in a very dry climate and I hung my bags out in my garden shed where it gets pretty warm during the day. It only took a couple days and the oregano was dry and crispy.
When the bunches are nice and dry simply use your fingers and crunch the leaves off the stems.
Place the leaves in an airtight container. I use jars. Check your jar in a day or two to make sure that there is no condensation showing on the sides. If there is, the oregano is not quite dry enough. If that happens just spread the oregano out in a pan and leave uncovered for another day or two to more fully dry. Be sure and label. You will forget what you put in the jar. I just used a sharpie marker. You could also use masking tape or get cute computer labels printed on your computer. Store in a dark place. A pantry or cupboard is fine.

How to dry herbs by removing the leaves.

Another way to dry herbs is to remove the leaves from the stems and then lay the leaves out on a tray or pan.
Cover with cheese cloth and set in a dark warm place for a few days until dry. Package the dried oregano in jars just as described above. Be sure and check your jar for any condensation.