Drying thyme

Would herbs like thyme, or flowers, dry properly covered with paper to keep dust off?

 

As long as they are in a cool, dark and dry place that has good air circulation. Cheers, Tony.

 

I don't cover mine. I just hang them to dry in an airy place. They dry fairly quickly in the right spot so don't gather much dust.

 

If you have a supply of paper bags, pharmacies seem the only scource nowadays, slip your herbs in with the open end down, make a small hole for your string to go through and it will act like an umberella.

 

How quickly? Do you grind them and put them in jars then, or...?

@pamsdish, that's exactly what I was thinking of doing: paper bags from the chemist.

 

You can grind them when they crumble to the touch.

 

I used to dry mint by tying it into bunches then pegging it out on the washing line on sunny days. I'd bring it in if it looked like rain, and put it back out again the next day (weather permitting). It only took a couple of sunny days to dry it nicely.

I'd guess the same would work with other herbs but I can't help but wonder, why do it with thyme? Thyme is available fresh all year round.

 

A number of reasons: I'm curious about any flavour differences between homegrown dried and storebought dried. The difference between fresh herbs and dried is notable, for me anyway. Since I quit smoking my sense of smell has begun to afford me a great deal of enjoyment and improved my sense of taste dramatically. Thyme grows for me faster than I can use it. Removing the fresh leaves from the stems is fiddly work while deep in the throes of cooking; whole sprigs tend to get chucked into the pot and the stems fished out afterward, which is, I dunno, maybe a little crude. Last time I dried herbs in the house they took so long to get crumbly they had a good coat of dust on them, along with little webs attached by the odd ceiling-dweller. Must've left them too long!

 

If you don't keep on top of the harvesting, it becomes woody and loses all its flavour and doesn't produce as many leaves, so its worth harvesting new growth regularly even if you don't want to use it straight away, which is a good reason to dry it as you say.

I don't get chance to dry ours, as in my kitchen demand outstrips supply. Thyme is one the most versatile herbs, it works in so many different dishes.

 

Am I being pernickety about the stems -- Do they find their way into the dried version?

 

Probably but they grind overall you don`t notice , a lot of soft stem herbs you can use the stalk anyway.

 

Coriander stem is brilliant in stewed dishes!

My grandma used to dry mint and sage by hanging them up in the kitchen. I think I'd dry them for a few days first, then put the paper covers on after.

Some herbs are a waste of time dried - parsley, basil and coriander are like sawdust, for example, with no flavour at all. They really need to be eaten fresh. Coriander is OK chopped fresh into an ice-cube tray and frozen.

The aromatic herbs like thyme, bay, oregano, rosemary, mint, sage are much more worthwhile dried. However, as they include evergreens, it doesn't seem necessary unless a large quantity is needed.

 

Coriander stems are fine by me. Taste the same. Freezing basil leaves whole seems to work. They look like little green crisps in the bag.