Drying Herbs - Pictorial

This is one of three sections that comes with the Dry Net Ultra

Air drying herbs can be used to preserve all types of herbs, unlike freezing herbs which is only suitable for certain high moisture types. Many people enjoy their herbs year round by drying their herbs and keeping them in jars or airtight containers.

A simple method of air drying is to hang the plants with leaves/flowers still attached to the stems and upside down in a closet. This is how I dry garlic in the fall. For most other things, like the hops I grow to brew beer, I use the dry net.

Air drying is great because it does not cost a dime. I have happily been using the dry net for a few years, and I really like it. Simply spread the cleaned leaves or flowers one layer thick on a section of the dry net. This allows proper air flow, I have recommended to turn the plant material over each day to ensure even drying. It is best to do this process indoors away from intense heat and light which would cause the herbs to lose greater amounts of flavor. The dry nets fit inside most grow tents, so once you are done growing, you can use the grow tent to dry your herbs.

It took about a week to dry these hops in my spare room.  The temperature was about 68F and humidity ranged from 40-60%.   I kept the ceiling fan on 24/7 to promote moderate airflow.

Once your herbs are dried, you can store them whole (such as I have done above) or crumble the herbs (such as oregano) before placing them in an airtight container such as a glass jar. I put these hops in plastic bags and have them in the freezer.  Hops are best fresh, so I will be using these to add flavor on the next few batches of beer.

Good Growing,
Dr. E.R. Myers