On 7/21/2008 6:40 PM, snagglepuss2k wrote:
whats the best way to dry or preserve herbs, i have a large bay tree
that i want to cut back but dont want to waste the leafs


I rinse the herbs. Then I lay them out in a single layer on paper
towels on top of my refrigerator. For bay, give them about 6 weeks.

However, you generally use only 1-2 bay leaves at a time when cooking.
I have a bay to a 12-inch flower pot; it's about 18 inches tall (pruned
often to keep it from outgrowing the ability of its constrained roots to
supply it with water and nutrients). I pick fresh bay leaves whenever I
want to use them. (The same with rosemary, oregano, sage, tarragon,
peppermint, and thyme, all of which are in my garden.)

Fresh herbs generally have better flavor. On the other hand, I prefer
dried spices. Somehow, it seems to my tongue that herbs lose some
flavor while drying while spices get stronger while drying. Since basil
and dill are summer annuals, I need to dry them if I'm going to use them
in the winter.

--
David E. Ross
Climate: California Mediterranean
Sunset Zone: 21 -- interior Santa Monica Mountains with some ocean
influence (USDA 10a, very close to Sunset Zone 19)
Gardening pages at http://www.rossde.com/garden/

whats the best way to dry or preserve herbs, i have a large bay tree that i want to cut back but dont want to waste the leafs

Hi

I very rarely dry herbs as i prefer to use them fresh and i feel the flavour is better thus i have two large stocked herb gardens. Howevert if i do dry any i tend to rinse and hang upside down in a paper bag tied at the stem end until dry and ready for putting in jars.

This stops the getting covered in dust and so on during the drying process, another way to do this quicker is a very low heat in the oven for several hours,

kathryn

www.carreglefn-nurseries.co.uk

"snagglepuss2k" wrote in message
...

whats the best way to dry or preserve herbs, i have a large bay tree
that i want to cut back but dont want to waste the leafs


I haven't done bay, but many other herbs. zap them in the microwave spread
out on a paper towel. I've done herbs the slow way, but the microwave does
a more thorough job, especially during humid summer weather and you avoid
mold.

On Tue, 22 Jul 2008 13:33:05 -0500, "frinjdwelr"
wrote:


"snagglepuss2k" wrote in message
.. .

whats the best way to dry or preserve herbs, i have a large bay tree
that i want to cut back but dont want to waste the leafs


I haven't done bay, but many other herbs. zap them in the microwave spread
out on a paper towel. I've done herbs the slow way, but the microwave does
a more thorough job, especially during humid summer weather and you avoid
mold.



I dry a lot of herbs using a food dehydrator. One time last year my
whole house smelled like a medicine cabinet, but the odor dissipates
quickly. My mother used to keep a bay leaf in flour to repel bugs--I
guess it worked.

Just pick the leafs off the branch and dry on paper towels.

They keep the bug eggs from hatching, actually. So, it breaks up the
life cycle of pests. I put one in all my grains, flour etc. You never
know what you may bring home from the store.