Drying Herbs and Flowers

The beauty of our garden does not have to end when the season is over. Preserving your own flowers and herbs will bring the outdoors in!

Dried flowers will be lovely in your home and serve as a reminder of the enjoyment you received when tending to your garden and seeing it in full bloom.

Likewise, herbs don’t have to die off in the garden but can be harvested and dried for use in cooking throughout the year!

The Process of Drying Flowers

There are several methods for drying flowers.

Larger flowers do well with one method, while smaller flowers may do well with another. The climate in your area plays a big role in how well a flower dries.

Silica Gel

The best method for drying flowers is to use silica gel, which can be found in craft or hobby stores.

Silica gel allows the flowers to retain their vibrant color and stay in their natural shape. This process takes up to 8 weeks.

Silica gel is a powdery-sandy substance that the flower is buried inside an airtight container.

There are blue particles in the silica gel that will turn pink once the moisture extraction has finished. Once that has happened, you can safely remove the flower.

Fill an airtight container with approximately 1” of the gel.

2. Place the entire flower (head facing up) in the gel. Flat-petaled flowers like daisies will go heads down.

3. Slowly and gently cover the entire flower with the gel. Do not move the flower or the container.

4. Place the cover on the container.

5. Monitor the gel for the change of particle color from blue to pink. Once it has, gently lift the flower out with a slotted spoon.

6. Brush off any remaining gel from the flower petals.

To Use Silica Gel:

Note: Do not leave the flower in the gel past the point of being done. Otherwise, it will become extremely brittle and shatter when you remove it.

The great thing about silica gel is that it can be reused repeatedly.

Once you have removed the flower, spread the gel on a baking pan and bake at 250 degrees (F).

When you see the blue particles in the gel return, you can remove it from the oven and reuse it again.

No products found.

Hang-Drying

This method is traditional and dates back centuries. It is the oldest method for drying flowers and herbs. The process can take up to two weeks.

1. Gather flowers that have buds open.

2. Remove leaves from the stalks.

3. Bunch together, ensuring the flower heads do not touch one another.

4. Use a tie or rubber band to secure the stalks together.

5. Hang in a dry, warm place like a garage, closet, or cellar. Keep out of the sunlight.

Oven Drying

Oven drying is another traditional method used by many over time. This process takes up to an hour to do.

1. Preheat oven to 100 degrees (F.)

2. Leave the oven door open slightly to allow moisture to escape.

3. Place the flowers on a baking sheet and place them in the oven.

4. Turn the flowers every 15 minutes.

5. Remove from the oven Once they have a crisp and brittle appearance.

The Process of Drying Herbs

Herbs are best dried naturally by hanging them.

Silica gel cannot be used when drying herbs because of the toxicity to humans.

Oven drying is also not recommended because it will cause the herbs to become too brittle.

Using the same method for hang-drying flowers, you can have dried herbs in a matter of a week or so.

Once they have dried, you can placed them in small airtight containers for storage.

A Few Tips

Pick the herbs you intend to dry early in the morning. This is when the oil concentration and flavor will be at their highest.
Drying herbs will concentrate the flavor. You won’t need as much in a recipe as opposed to using fresh herbs
Some herbs are better or easier to dry than others. Some low moisture herbs include sage, dill, fennel, and thyme.