Is there a way to dry my home-grown herbs in the microwave (basil, oregano,parsley, chives, thyme)??
Question:Or do I need to get a dehydrator?
Answers:
As the others have already said, no to the microwave. Yes to a low temp in the oven. I usually freeze my parsley and chives, they keep more of their flavor that way. I dry oregano, thyme and rosemary on a screen in the sun on a day the humidity is low. Because basil loses so much of it's flavor when dried, I make Basil Conserve out of it. That was the 'old world' way of keeping it and it intensifies the flavor. Yum!
Harvest your basil at the end of a warm dry day. Allow to sit for about one hour.
Use small jars if you have them, otherwise canning jars will do. At the bottom of each jar, add 1/4" kosher salt to the bottom and cover this with olive oil. Leaving basil leaves on the stem, layer them into the jar, pressing with the back of a spoon.
Sprinkle each layer with a quarter inch of salt, and pour oil over each layer, repeating until the jar is full and packed tightly with basil. End with a layer of salt and cover with oil.
Store jars in your refrigerator. The basil leaves will become dark green and wilted, but the flavor will intensify and they will make a wonderful addition to your sauces, stews, and salads.
All I do, is bundle them up and hang them upside down until they are dried. If you are in a huge hurry, you can also pop them in the oven for several hours at an extremely low setting.
low heat in the oven will do it, but, not in the microwave.
Don't use the microwave. A microwave doesn't "dry" it agitates the water molecules and actually cooks your herbs, causing them to deteriorate. Plus, the cooking of the water will fundamentally change their taste. I agree the person above, hang them to dry them, like you would a flower. Not only will it preserve the flavor, it is not bad looking in the process. Use a ribbon or yarn to hang them in the kitchen. You can go all Martha!
I put my herbs in a paper shopping bag under the couch for about a week.
well u cant put it in a microwave but the oven will do
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