Remove any leaves that look damaged or sunburned, and put them in your compost. Oven drying basil is a faster method but requires more supervision to make sure leaves don’t burn. Harvest, wash, and air dry your basil before dehydrating it. After you let the basil leaves air dry, gather it together into bunches. Then, tie a longer piece of string through each bunch so that you can hang them up. Place them in a single layer with no overlapping. If you have any doubts as to whether or not your basil leaves are fully dried, store them in the freezer. Avoid storing in plastic or metal, and make sure your containers are clean and completely free of moisture. […] you need to dry just a couple of leaves, you can also try drying basil in the microwave, although personally, I prefer air […]. Dry well. All you need is string or twine and paper bags (optional). However, it is not recommended to use the microwave for drying basil. The somewhere is important, though. Remember that your herbs are going to shrink a lot as they dry, so harvest 2-3 times the amount you want to end up with. Lay out leaves in a single layer, making sure that none are overlapping. Place a paper bag around the bundles and hang them in a dark room for drying. There are four main ways to dry basil: air drying, oven drying, microwaving, and using a food dehydrator. If you are harvesting at the end of the season, feel free to cut off all of the good remaining leaves without worrying about where you are clipping. Cover with another paper towel and place in the microwave. The obvious answer to why dry basil is to be able to use it through the months when you can’t grow it, but there are other reasons as well. To keep enjoying the fantastic flavor of basil through fall and winter, you can easily dry large bunches of the leaves and store them in your pantry. How to dry basil in the microwave (caveat: since microwaves vary, you may need to adjust the time/heat level. You can easily grow a large amount in a container garden and fill several jars with the dried herb at the end of the season. You may have noticed that store-bought basil tastes like nothing after a month or two. To know for sure if your basil is done, remove it from the microwave and let it cool for about 30 seconds before testing it. One drawback is that you can’t do large batches, but it can be very effective if you just need a small batch dried quickly. Prepare the fresh herbs as you would for drying them in a microwave. All you need is a microwave and some paper towels. One drawback is that you can’t do large batches, but it can be very effective if you just need a small batch dried quickly. You may need to experiment to find the right time and power setting for drying your basil because each microwave is different. NOTE: All microwaves are different – you don’t want to burn the basil, lower power and shorter time periods are best, use the setting that work best for your microwave. Because I usually have a fairly large crop of basil, I usually prefer to hang my basil to dry or dry basil in the dehydrator. Wash and dry your basil following the same steps as you would for air drying. If you have high humidity, it can take up to 48 hours. Start by laying the herb foliage in a single layer on a paper towel, either on the oven rack or on the glass insert. Ideally, you want to put them somewhere that gets good air circulation to speed up the drying process. You’re less likely to burn your herbs this way, but it will take an additional 12 hours to finish drying basil. The first step to drying flavorful basil leaves is to grow healthy plants. To keep your dried basil flavorful for as long as possible do not crumble up the leaves! and make a great gift as well. It is perhaps the fastest way of drying basil and preserves a significant amount of its original flavor and aroma. You can rinse them off in a sink filled with water or a large bowl. For this method, you’ll need an oven, flat baking sheets, and parchment paper. How about a preserving workshop with Getty? Dry well. To speed up drying or if you have just a few leaves, the microwave can also be used to dry herbs like basil. The easiest way to harvest is to cut off stems with a pair of garden clippers or sharp scissors. Harvest and wash your basil just like you would when air drying basil. This works best if you require a small amount of dried basil right away and if you have limited space for drying basil sprigs. This is the quickest way to dry basil leaves. The more moisture on the leaves the more likely you’ll get brown spots. Ideally, you want to keep the jars away from heat, damp, and light as much as possible. Otherwise, you risk it getting moldy instead of nice and crispy. Once the leaves are crispy and crumbly, remove the trays and let them cool down. Where helpful to the reader, some posts may contain links to products. You can microwave on high, but lower temperatures for longer periods of time will give you a better result. Basil will take about 3-4 weeks to air dry depending on humidity, air circulation, etc. Create a bundle of basil, tie it together, and hang somewhere to air dry. Check and if needed continue to zap in 30-second intervals until done. If the bunches get too big, they won’t get enough air circulation and won’t properly dry out. To dry basil in the microwave: Wash basil and remove leaves from stems. All content copyright © 2019 Getty Stewart | Website & logo design by, As delicious as it looks, this quinoa black bean s, Have you tried making infused vinegars? Ideally, herbs should be dried at about 95°F (35°C). But what about after summer’s over? Carefully lay the leaves on a paper towel. Normally, it will take about an hour for the leaves to dry out on the towel. Drying leaves in the microwave is a very quick and easy way to preserve leaves for use in craft projects or fall decorations. Use your string or garden twine to tie each bunch together. Most hearty herbs will take around 1 minute initially, followed by a few 20 second bursts until completely dry. The more moisture on the leaves the more likely you’ll get brown spots. This works best if you require a small amount of dried basil right away and if you have limited space for drying basil sprigs. The instructions that came with your food dehydrator should help you to pick the right temperature and setting for herbs. Microwaved basil looks fresh and green in color for the most part. After harvesting, cut each stem to make them approximately even to one another. You can find growth nodes by looking for places on each stem where two leaves grow out in opposite directions. Check the container for signs of condensation within the first 24 hours. Cover the leaves with another paper towel and microwave on high for 1 minute. Wash and thoroughly dry all basil leaves. Drying basil in microwave. Fill up your sink or a large bowl with cool water and gently swish the stems and leaves around to clean them. After you’ve fully dried your herbs using your method of choice, you need to properly store them so that you don’t lose out on all your hard work. Using a food dehydrator doesn’t require much supervision, but you’ll still want to check the leaves every so often to make sure they aren’t overheating. If you own a food dehydrator, you can use it to simply and effectively dry your basil. Microwaves often don’t heat evenly, so you may need to remove leaves that are done and keep heating the rest. The leaves will bruise easily, so handle them with care. Basil leaves bruise easily, so take care when you wash them. Here are some tips for growing the best basil to dry: You can harvest your basil at any time during the season to dry, or you can wait until the end of the summer and dry any that’s left. Pat them dry on a towel and leave flat for about an hour to let the surface moisture evaporate. Once you’ve cleaned them, lay out your herbs on a clean towel and pat them dry with a towel. Filed Under: Blog, Drying/Dehydrating, Herbs & Spices, Preserving. Keep an eye on your containers for the first few days to make sure there isn’t any condensation forming. Either way, crispy and crumbly leaves is a sign that they have dried out completely. After they’ve cooled, you can store the leaves in jars and enjoy it in the coming months! Put them in the microwave on low heat for 1-2 minutes. Drying basil in the microwave is the fastest method but also the one you need to be most careful with. 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