Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat
Eating and Drinking => Cooking, Storing and Preserving => Topic started by: shokkyy on July 13, 2011, 01:13
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Drying herbs by hanging them up in a room doesn't really appeal to me very much, because they will get contaminated by grease and dust and will drop bits all over the place unless you put them in a paper bag. I've tried drying them in a microwave and in the oven, but no matter which I do the end result has hardly any aroma at all, and half the 'taste' of herbs is in the smell, I think. I haven't tried freezing them but it's difficult to see how any aroma could survive freezing either. There has to be a way of drying them without losing the wonderful smell, but I don't know how. What am I doing wrong? Or is it inevitable that any method of preservation is going to rob you of that smell?
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How about a food dehydrator? would that work ok :unsure:? although the cost could be prohibitive unless you are going to use it for other stuff such as fruit.
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hang them on string, cover with a brown paper bag and hang inside an airing cupboard- works well for me
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I would suggest hanging in a cupboard to keep them from dust and grease. Here is Val's advice:
http://www.allotment-garden.org/allotment_foods/drying-food/Drying-Fresh-Herbs.php
:)
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I also use the airing cupboard, and it works really well for orange peel too. Just carefully remove strips of peel from a couple of oranges with a good (i.e. sharp) potato peeler, and use a needle and thread to string them up. Leave for a few days, then seal in an airtight jar. Great for casseroles, presents, etc.
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We have always used a small wicker basket, quite shallow and about 10" across.
Wash and whizz the herbs in salad whizzer/dryer, line the basket with kitchen tissue and place the herbs on top. Place another tissue on the top of those.
Then, as already mentioned leave in the airing cupboard, or, if you have a combi-boiler and no cupboard. Next to or on top of the boiler.
The boilers are well insulated and do not give out as much heat as an old type of boiler.
The wicker basket allows the warm(ish) air to circulate through gently.
Pete
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That's exactly how I dry small chillis Pete :)
It works really well and is dead simple :D
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Yes, it is brilliant for those as well.
Last lot I did was about 6/7 years ago.
And we are still using the chillies !
Pete
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Yes, it is brilliant for those as well.
Last lot I did was about 6/7 years ago.
And we are still using the chillies !
Pete
:lol: :lol: :lol:
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You can also freeze them in an ice cube tray in the portions that you would normally use. When they are frozen pop them in a freezer bag. Fresh herbs for cooking instead of dried. :D
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For the first time I have dried and frozen this year... For drying I tie the herbs in small bunches and have a line of string with about 8 bunches on. Tie loops in both ends and then I hook it onto 2 nails which are on an overhanging plank over my chest type deep freeze in my garage. There is a continious warm air flow coming up from behind the freezer so the positioning over this causes the herbs to dry evenly and a bit quicker than normal. Just had used some Marjorum with my mushrooms tonight and v tasty. I have done Basil, Marjorum, Thyme and Rosemary. Just strip the leaves off the stalks and bottle.. Keep your old spice bottles for this..
I also froze a lot. Just placed herb leaves on a tray in the freezer for a few days and then filled plastic tupperwares for storing in the freezer... Dont bother to cut the leaves... just as they are and when you use them just crush a few as they are frozen and break easily.. I did this in case the frost kills my plants !!
I love trying new things...