Depending on how you gather your herbs and how much you want to spend to dehydrate them, you can spend hundreds of dollars on equipment. I am someone who never knows what I am going to have to deal with next, from life or culinarily. Having multiple methods to do the same thing is always best.
To dry fruits and vegetables oven drying with a little heat or using a commercial dehydrator is usually recommended. The moisture that is in fruits especially can take days to dry out properly. Herbs are not as hard to dry, and as such, can be dried in just a few hours using most methods. Most dehydrators use some sort of heat to help dry things, using the oven, even with a low setting, can crisp herbs and possibly burn them if you are not careful.
When I am out in the field, gathering and harvesting things fresh for at home, I have found that most of the things I cut can be dried in a day in a car if the air temperature is above 60 degrees fahrenheit. I usually have water in the car for myself, so rinsing the freshly picked plants is easy.
I try to not leave too much in the car, but I really recommend having a roll of paper toweling to put under the herbs. It makes them easier to move and can absorb moisture that is squeezed out as the outer layers of green dries and shrinks. Putting the plants directly on the dashboard will take less time, but there is always the chance that a dried herb will scatter once the car turns on. There’s also dust and other contaminants, but how you clean your car is up to you.
I love drying flowers in the car for a natural air freshener without artificial sprays.
Once the herb is dried, you have the opportunity to crush the plant before putting in a container. Many herbs are good whole, but not as easy to use. Anything dried in this method should be labeled as to where it was gathered as well as the date so you can remember where you found it as well as knowing how fresh it is. Car-dried herbs usually have a shelf life of about 3 months to 6 months.
Have an eye out for herbs to preserve and have fun with the method.
Chef Rena
