oven-drying herbs from the garden

When the weather starts to get iffy, we gather any leftover summer herbs and preserve them for winter. I experimented with this a few years ago and have had very good results with a simple solution: 6-7 minutes drying in the oven. I set the temperature to about 300-325 degrees and keep a close watch over each batch.

For some reason, parsley gives the best results: bright color (see below!) and fabulous taste. Basil almost always turns dark but the flavor is great nonetheless; sage leaves curl up a lot but they work well, too.

I use a clean cookie sheet for each batch as there may be a bit of residual stickiness from the oil in the leaves. The goal is to get them just barely dry and let time take care of the rest. I typically leave them out for a few days to fully dry, then seal in glass jars or plastic bags.

My sons love to crumble the full leaves when we cook. It’s very satisfying to crunch them in your bare hands over a pot of soup or pasta sauce. It’s also a terrific ‘helper’ job for little ones!