Making your own herbal tea is a great way to get the most out of your herb garden. Not only does this give you access to a variety of fresh, flavorful ingredients for your tea blends, but it also allows you to save money by drying and storing herbs for later use.
In this quick guide, I'll describe three ways to dry herbs for tea: air drying, dehydrating, and oven drying. Let's get into it!
Air Drying Method
The air-drying method-while it's the lengthiest- is the simplest and least expensive method of drying herbs for tea. All you need are some string or twine and a spot with low humidity that's fairly warm (but not in direct sunlight).
Tie the string around the stems of your herbs in small bunches and hang them upside-down in an area with good ventilation. Make sure that the bunches aren't too big, as this could cause them to take longer to dry.
Once they're completely dry (which can take anywhere from a week to several weeks depending on the type of herb and the humidity in your area), remove the leaves from their stems and store them in an air-tight container. Don't crush the leaves until you're ready to use them, as this will reduce their flavor over time.
Dehydrator Method
Using a food dehydrator is an effective way to dry herbs quickly and efficiently. Simply place the herbs on dehydrator trays in a single layer, set the temperature to around 100 degrees Fahrenheit, and turn it on.
The amount of time it takes for your herbs to dry will depend on how much moisture they contain; it could take anywhere from one hour up to four hours or more. Once they're done, let them cool before transferring them into an airtight container for storage.
Oven Drying Method
Another option is oven-drying your herbs at a low temperature (no higher than 180 degrees Fahrenheit). Start by preheating your oven and then lay out parchment paper on baking sheets before arranging the herbs in single layers (make sure they don't overlap).
Place baking sheets inside the oven and leave until all of the moisture has evaporated—this should take around 30 minutes but keep an eye on them (checking at least every 5 minutes) as every oven is different and overheating them can alter their flavor.
Once they're done, let them cool before transferring them into an airtight container for storage.
Final Thoughts On How To Dry Herbs For Tea
Drying herbs for tea is easy once you know how! Depending on what equipment you have available, you can try any one of these methods — air drying, dehydrating, or oven drying — to preserve your favorite herb varieties so that you can enjoy delicious herbal teas all year round!
So whether you're looking for a quick process like using the oven or a longer but less hands-on approach like air drying, there's surely a method that's perfect for you! Whatever that is and whatever you do... just make sure you enjoy the process! Thanks for reading and happy drying!
PS. For ideas on how to store your herbs once they are dried, check out this article.
