8 How To Dry Herbal Plant Leaves So That They Can Be Saved For A Long Time

Illustration of how to dry herbal plant leaves (Freepik/8photos)

YOGYAKARTA The best herbal plant leaves are used when fresh. But if there are many harvests, the way to keep them from being preserved is to be dried. Dry herbal leaves, can also offer the best quality, but you really have to pay attention to how to dry them to maintain their taste. Generally, dried herbal leaves such as dill leaves, oregano, rosemary, summer savory, marjoram, angelica, and typhme.

Drying leaves of herbal plants can be done in various ways, such as using delydrators or food dryers, microwaves, or low-temperature ovens. But it's important to note, don't use high temperatures because you can evaporate your taste and oil. So using this tool is the last option. According to recommendations by Julie Thompson-Adolf, an experienced garden expert and writer for more than 30 years of organic gardening, here's how to dry herbal plant leaves.

If you dry succulent-type leaves with high water levels, such as basil, kemangi, leeks, mints, and tarragon, you can try to dry them with delydrators. But to maintain the taste, you can consider it by freezing. When harvesting, the best before flowering. Now it will get a maximum taste.

The right time to harvest to be dried is during summer. How to harvest it, cut the branches in the middle of the morning. This means let the dew stagnate first but pick before the plants wither due to sun exposure. As a suggestion, don't cut the plant's solver unless you plan to replace it with a new plant. Cut no more than 2/3 or 1/3 of the plant only.

Because before it is dried it is not recommended to wash it first. So to remove insects or anything that sticks by shaking the branches. Make sure the herbal leaves are dry when harvested. Dispose of the remaining soil that sticks and if necessary rinse with cold water and dry it with a paper towel. Put the herbal leaves that will be dried in a place that gets air circulation to make them dry quickly. This is done to avoid rotting or moldy leaves because they are wet.

Dispose of the lower herbal leaves or about an inch from the bottom of the stem. You can use this leaf to be dried separately. Importantly, choose good quality leaves. Throw away dry leaves and get sick because the taste will decrease if dried.

Combining four to six sticks into a tie. You can use a strap or rubber bracelet. This leaf association needs to be checked regularly in the drying process under the sun. If you want to dry a fire with high water levels, make small bunches so that the air can flow and not rot.

The most classic way to dry herbs is to tie up your arms and hang them up in a wide warm room. In this way, nature works naturally to dry the leaves.

Launching The Spruce, Sunday, November 19, after doing how to dry the leaves of the herbal plants above, you can store them in an air-tight container. Before storing them, Pilah leaves are well-quality dry and throw them away. Can also be stored in short-tailed bags to maintain the taste and ensure the leaves are intact. Don't forget to label the name so that it is easy for further use and stored in the long term good.