Drying Homegrown Basil

In my vegetable garden I always sow basil seeds with the tomatoes.  Let's face it . . . tomato and basil are perfect together.  

Throughout the summer I pick basil here and there for recipes and whatnot.  But now that summer is over and my garden is pretty much played out I have huge bunches of basil that I need to do something with lest they go to waste.

If you're planning on drying your basil keep in mind that basil begins to lose flavor once it starts flowering, so plan on harvesting it before it begins flowering.

Dried basil is less full-bodied when it is dried, but it doesn't lose its distinctive delicious taste.  Keeping the dried leaves whole instead of crushing them retains more of the flavor.

 

Drying basil . . . herbs in general . . . is easy.  All it requires is a little time . . . . or a lot of time depending on the drying method employed.  

Whichever method you use you must start by washing the basil. Place each branch under the tap.  The water should be about room temperature.  Carefully wash off the dirt and debris from the leaves. Then blot the leaves dry with paper towels.  While you’re washing the leaves discard any that are rotten or look bad.

Air Drying

Air drying is the easiest method as it doesn't require any special equipment.  Select stalks that are fairly even in length.  Hold the stalks upside down then take string or a rubber band or a twist tie and tie the base of the stems together . . . kind of like a bouquet.  

Hang the basil in an area where it can dry. You want to select an area that has good air circulation to prevent mold from growing.  Depending on conditions, it will take two or three weeks for the leaves to completely dry out.  The leaves will be brown and crunchy when they are totally dry . . . if they are soft then they are not yet dry.  

Using a dehydrator

I prefer to use my dehydrator.  It's faster and there's little chance that the leaves will mold or be otherwise contaminated.

Remove the cleaned leaves from the stalks.  Place the basil leaves on the drying racks, leaving space between them for the air to circulate, and only one leaf thick on each rack.

Set the dehydrator thermostat set to 95°F to 115°F.  If the ambient humidity is high you can set it as high as 125°F.   I started mine out at 95°F  and after several hours they were barely drying so I bumped it up to 125°F and they dried out within a couple of hours . . . it was a fairly humid day and we don't have air conditioning.  Overall mine took about 10 hours to dry but that time could have been drastically reduced if I had started out with a higher temperature.  Use your best judgment.

Storing

Once the leaves are dry you can either keep the leaves whole or crunch them up.  Simply pick them off the stalks (crush them or not) and then place them in an airtight jar or zipper bag.  

Store herbs in a cool, dry, dark place (away from sunlight). Dried herbs keep for years but for best results use within a year. Most herbs will diminish in flavor with age and a larger amount will be needed to achieve the desired flavor in cooking

All men's gains are the fruit of venturing.

Drying Fruits and Vegetables with a Dehydrator

Fruits and vegetables are cheapest when they're in season. Drying them is an inexpensive way to preserve them so you can enjoy them throughout the year . . . to be enjoyed as a snack by themselves or to be used in recipes.

Dried fruits are excellent to add to trail mixes or used in baking. 

When I have an over abundance of tomatoes from the garden I like to dehydrate them and pack them in a good quality olive oil.  Then you not only have the dry tomatoes to used in cooking but you also have the added benefit of a yummy tomato flavored oil for cooking with.

Although you can certainly dry foods in your oven, a dehydrator is much more energy efficient for this purpose. 

Dehydrating fruits and vegetables is extremely easy . . . all you need is time and most of that is waiting for the food to dry out; 8-12 hours of drying time on average

You should start with good quality fresh fruits and vegetables . . . overripe, bruised and otherwise deteriorated produce do not preserve well.

Clean, hull and slice all fruits and vegetables.  It’s important to make sure the slices are consistent to make sure that everything dries at the same rate.

Foods that discolor when exposed to air . . . like apples and potatoes . . . can be blanched or treated with citrus juice to preserve color.  Harder vegetables should be blanched for about 5 minutes in boiling water to speed up the drying time.

You can add salt, sugar or spices, but I prefer to dry fruits and vegetables without adding extra ingredients to preserve their natural flavors.

Load the dehydrator trays with sliced fruit and vegetable slices; do not to overlap them because this slows the drying time.

Turn your dehydrator on immediately after loading to start the dehydration process. Consult the owner's manual for recommended drying times, but expect the process to take between 8-12 hours on average.

As you reach the end of the drying time, check your fruits and vegetables frequently for dryness.

Dried fruits need to go through an additional conditioning period before they are ready for storage. Place them in loosely packed jars, and shake once a day for 7-10 days to ensure the remaining moisture is evenly distributed between the dried pieces. If condensation appears on the jar, the fruit needs to be returned to the dehydrator for further drying.

Place all dried foods in air-tight containers or freezer bags; and store in a cool, dry and dark location until you are ready to use them.