Dried Basil

Explore a traditional method of preserving the vibrant flavors of basil by bundling fresh herbs together and air-drying them in a cool, dry space. This step-by-step guide will show you how to create beautifully dried basil for use in your favorite recipes.

Making Dried Basil

Learn the art of air-drying basil by bundling it into bushels and hanging them in a cool, well-ventilated area. This timeless preservation technique ensures you have a ready supply of dried basil to enhance your dishes throughout the year.

Serves:

1 liter jar

Time to Prepare:

15 min

Time to dry:

2 weeks

Serves:

dehydration

Serves:

1 liter jar

Time to Prepare:

15 min

Time to dry

2 weeks

Skills:

Dehydration

Ingredients & Tools

For the dried basil

Basil plants cut corn at the stem. Preferably before the flowering stage.

Tools

String
Small piece of carton to use as etiquette
Hole puncher
glass jar big enough to hold the dried basil you are processing with an airtight lid

Useful guidelines

Location for drying your herbs

Cool and dry area where there is no direct sunlight!

Storage

dried herbs keep extremely well in dark places if they are kept at a constant temperature. Alwways semll your fresh herbs befor using. When they start smelling like dried grass, their aromatic qualities have dissapeared and you should replace them.

Make sure your leaves are completey dry before storing them in an airtight container, as they will start to rot an go mouldy otherwise.

Directions

Simply follow these steps in order to make the perfect dried basil:

Step 1

Cut of your basil plants at the stem. (If you have a store-bought plant, you might want to dry on a drying rack, as the stems are usually too tender to hang)

Step 2

Remove the leaves of the bottom 2 inches of the stem and make a bushel of 10-15 stems each. Tie these bouquets together with a lot of force, they will shrink, so the tighter the better. Write the variety and harvesting date on a small piece of carton. Pierce a whole in the carton tag and attach it to the bouquet. Then hang your bouquet upside down in a cool, dark and well-ventilated area. Make sure there is no direct sunlight hitting the herbs. This will severely reduce the aromatic quality and ruin the green color.

Step 3

Leave the bouquet to hang until the leaves become brittle and break when you touch them.

Step 4

Remove the bouquet and place it in a large plastic bag or bowl and remove leaves from stems.

Remove any of the stems from the fallen leaves and store the dried basil in a glass bowl in our pantry. The herbs will stay good for a year but will lessen in quality over time.