Fresh or dried, herbs are DIY flavor.
Want to cut back on salt? Herbs add flavors that can keep your tastebuds so happy they won’t miss that sodium.
Herbs are easy to grow, so be sure you grow or purchase at the farmers market enough to dry. Home-dried herbs are fresher and pack more tasty punch than any you’ll find on a store shelf.
To dry herbs, simply cut enough stems to make a bundle, secure with a string and hang the bundles upside-down in a dry spot out of direct sunlight. They need plenty of air circulating around them to dry properly, so don’t hang them close together. Keep hanging herbs protected — enclose bundles in paper bags with slits cut down the bags’ length. The slits permit good airflow, and the bags protect herbs from light and dust. Just be sure each bag is considerably larger than its bundle of herbs so that air circulation is not impeded.
Once leaves are dry and brittle, store herb stems whole in airtight containers. Crush the leaves only when ready to use, and remember that drying food concentrates flavors. The large amounts of fresh herbs you used during growing season is much greater than the amount you’ll need once all that flavor has been concentrated down to little dried bits.
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