by Christi Jardine -Stake PL Leader (8th Ward)  |
| Cilantro drying on a paper towel on my kitchen counter. |
Cilantro and parsley are tender herbs that dry quickly in Utah in our dry climate. When I buy a bunch of cilantro and do not use all of it, I lay the remaining stems on a paper towel on the counter for 2-3 days. When they are dry I place them in a Ziploc sandwich bag and crumble the leaves. The stems can be easily removed and the leaves can be placed in a spice bottle for latter use.
Chives:
Chives dry quickly, similar to cilantro and parsley. I often use the same drying method for chives, except I wash them and holding them in a bunch snip them in to 1/4" or smaller pieces on to the paper towel. In a few days they are dry and can be placed in a spice bottle for later use.
Lavender, Margoram, Oregano, Rosemary, Thyme, Dill:
These herbs are often dried in bunches. Tie them with a twist tie or a piece of cotton string or jute. Then hang them from a hook or from the handle of your cupboards. The bunches will be dry in a week or more and then they can be placed a Ziploc bag and crushed, or crushed in the blender.
Sage:
Sage also dries well in a bunch. To get the rubbed sage texture that you buy in the store, hold the stem and strip the leaves off by running your fingers down the stem.Then place the leaves in the blender and pulse until the sage is chopped into small, soft pieces.Sage is hard to crush in a Ziploc bag. The leaves are a bit flexible even after being dried. The blender seems to do the best job.
