Drying herbs in the oven

[Sage]

I usually dry my herbs by hanging them in our shed, but the humidity has just been too high this year. I am thinking about drying them in batches in the oven, but I'm not sure how long to put them in and what the best temperature is. Any ideas?

 

[dissn_it]

I tried to dry herbs in the oven once. I set the oven for 125 and spread the herbs out on cookie sheets. I think they took an hour or two to get completely dried out. I wasn't too keen on how it made the house smell and they lost a lot of flavor. I now prefer to chop them up and freeze them in ice cube trays with some water instead.

 

[AppleMay]

I've heard of freezing them in the freezer before which sound like a good idea. I also thought (and not positive about this) I heard that you can dry them in your microwave oven. Might do a search on this one and check it out.

 

[xenon]

You shouldn't dry herbs out too fast. The best way is to hang in a dry dark place with low humidity. It sounds like you have a problem in your shed but can you use an inside closet? I built a purpose made herb drier some years back. It had racks with ladies stockings stretched over the racks measuring about 18' square and was in a cupboard I built.
I googled up this design but I recommend you do some online research for something you can put together. You probably can build something using a very large cardboard box say a washing machine box? But remember don't forget air flow which is crucial.
http://www.diylife.com/2008/01/25/build-your-own-herb-dryer/

 

[shaunche]

I've tried drying herbs in the oven. I had the oven on the lower heat and let the herbs dry for 2 hours. I wasn't very impressed with the end product, oven drying seems to take away some of the flavour when compared to naturally dried herbs.

 

[Lyra]

Can you use a dehydrator? I have been thinking about getting one, but haven't considered that I might be able to use it to dry herbs from the garden.

 

[beckyv1265]

I use my dehydrator to dry mine. It uses less energy than the oven and doesn't dry them too fast.

 

[Greenwoman]

I have never had much luck in drying herbs in the oven. I always over cook them, it is likely because of the temperature because the lowest our stove can go is 190. For me, hanging and drying has thus far been the best method for storing herbs

 

[rayne]

Try the microwave. My friend told me how to do this. Put just a few leaves or sprigs in at a time on high in 30 sec. increments. The herb retains its color and flavor better than if dried in the oven.

 

[Greenwoman]

That sounds inventive! It won't burn in the microwave either? Also, are there any problems with radiation stuff affecting the herbs? I may try this on a sprig of catnip.