Dried Organic Herbs –Drying and storing process

Have you ever stopped for a while and given a thought about herbs? Herbs are such valuable ingredients and are indispensable part of a cooking. But we unmindfully and unknowingly just use them as a routine. We always under estimate the herbs because we do not know their value. Whether they are fresh or dried up, they continue giving aroma and flavor to the dishes. The herbs are used in different ways like garnishing, seasoning or spicing up a dish. Even a simple and boring meal turns into a tasty and interesting dish just by the addition of the appropriate herb in it. And if it is an organically grown herb then you are sure to get the enhanced flavor along with a safety tag of ‘chemical free’. But it is not possible to get and use these herbs afresh all the time. So for that purpose Dried Organic Herbs are being used in the dishes. Though they are dried they still retain their original flavor and aroma. And that’s the specialty of the herbs. There are different methods to dry them. But before that the harvesting process is to be seen. If you are growing your own organic herbs in the garden, keep a vigil on their growth and just before it starts flowering the harvesting needs to be done. This is the peak maturity period of the herbs and at this particular juncture they contain the maximum amount of essential oils which is the main cause for the aroma and the flavor of these herbs. Start the process only when the sun is high above so that the leaves do not retain any water or dew and are dry enough. Cut them and rinse them well in clean water, shake off the excess water and let them to air out on paper towels. Ensure that no two types of herbs are mixed together. Place each one of them separately. Once aired out these need to be bundled into bunches using a string and hanged upside down in a dark place. Simply put, they should not be dried under direct sunlight. It takes about a week or so for these Dried Organic Herbs to dry completely. This is the most natural and best method of drying these organic herbs. Or otherwise for a faster drying up you can use either the oven or the dehydrator. Now check these Dried Organic Herbs for crispiness. If they are crisp and crumble with a simple crush in your hands that means they are completely dry. Now you can get ready to store these Dried Organic Herbs. All that you need to do is crush these herbs either manually by hand or in a coffee grinder and turn them into smaller, medium or larger flakes or into powder as per your requirement. Now take suitable air tight containers and label them out. Fill them with the herbs and store them in a cool place away from direct sunlight. This coolness and avoidance of sunlight would increase the longevity of these Dried Organic Herbs.