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Herbs are a great way to flavor almost any food
dish, but buying them at the store can be
expensive. A more cost effective option that
adds money to your pocket and flavor to your
meals is to grow and dry your own herbs. It
can also be tons of fun, especially if you
have children who can help.
Fresh herbs have a benefit over the dried
ones you buy in the store. If you have a
sunny spot and some good soil, you can grow
your own herbs at home. Choose the ones that
you use most to season food and grow them in
small planters.
When growing herbs, treat them like any
other plant. Pruning and cutting back the
leaves brings even more leaves. As you cut
and use fresh basil, oregano, rosemary, and
thyme, they will continue to grow. In fact,
the herbs may grow faster than you can use
them, so share some with friends and
neighbors.
Another alternative to letting the extra
go to waste is to dry your fresh herbs.
Dried fresh herbs lose their moisture, but
still retain the entire flavor of a fresh
plant. You’ll now have herbs to last for
months to come and you can pass them on to
others once they are dried as well.
Begin with your equipment. You’ll need a
place to dry them. You can use wooden or
wire racks. That cooling rack you use in the
kitchen for cookies and cakes would be
perfect for drying herbs. Gather together a
colander, some cheesecloth, paper towels,
and some string.
All herbs to be dried should be washed
and rinsed in cold water. A colander is
perfect because the water can drain out the
bottom. Use paper towels to pat each leaf
and stalk until dry of any visible moisture.
Herbs can be dried in many ways. If you
only want the leaves, remove the stalk and
lay the leaves on a drying rack. Depending
on the size of the leaves, you may need a
wire rack for them as opposed to a cooling
rack from the kitchen.
Herbs can also be dried in bunches. Tie
them with string at the stalks and hang them
upside down on a nail to air dry. This can
be accomplished outside or indoors, but
should be done in an area that is ventilated
with no humidity. Humidity will help your
herbs to retain their moisture and prevent
drying. Use cheesecloth to cover herbs on a
cooling rack if you plan on letting them dry
outside.
Use the oven for faster drying. The
temperature should remain low (around 120
degrees). Gently touch the leaves every half
hour to test for dryness. The microwave oven
is an alternative, but you will have to be
careful not to shrivel them up.
Dried herbs will keep for a six months.
After that, the flavor begins to wane. Herbs
should be stored in Mason jars or plastic
containers, just be sure to label them so
you know which herb is which. In order to
keep the herbs dry and avoid molding during
storage, seal the containers air tight.
Herbs season food in many unique and
yummy ways. Drying herbs allows you to savor
the flavor while saving money and having fun
all at once.
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