How To Dry Basil

Bored of your seared meat, tasteless pasta, bland potatoes and grubby greens and looking to add something new and exciting to your platter? How about trying some yummy truffle pasta or going for exotic Shark’s fin soup? Before you ginger up the gastrophile in you and start fantasizing of kangaroo carpaccio or marzipan cherries, we suggest you grab your pots and pans and stir up something really palatable to get you going. Whether you are a sworn foodie or just love to experiment with your flavors and ingredients, tossing in some essential herbs like basil to your broth or noodles can leave you high on your newfound culinary expertise. So, go ahead and just shake in some dry basil to your pesto sauce, potato salads, pizza and pasta sauce and enjoy a great fare. Dried basil is absolutely delightful on the buds and comes loaded with numerous health advantages. If you are an herb freak and cannot stop swearing about your zest for dried herbs like basil, then scrolling down this article should leave you with enough cues on how to dry basil all by yourself. To know more on this, read on.

Drying Basil

If you wish to dry your own homegrown basil, then make sure that you harvest the herb before the flower sets in to preserve its authentic flavor and essence. Always go for the leaves or branches that have enough stems.
Snip the stalks, dunk bunches in a sink, and douse the basil leaves for a few minutes in fresh cold water. Swish the leaves with your hand to scrape off the dirt and bugs, while taking care not to separate the leaves from the bunch. Wrap the wet leaves in a dry paper towel to soak up the excess moisture.
Using a string or a thread, tie the stalks together to make a basil bouquet. Hang the stalks upside down, with the tip of the leaves facing the ground, in a dry, airy place. You can use your kitchen, basement, pantry or any other dry storage area to dry your basil. You can also set up your own private basil drying station by tying a rope or a string between two ends of your chair and hanging your basil bouquet in it. However, make sure that the place has adequate air.
Twist the wire or twine the thread snugly around the basil stem and hang it to dry. The perfect temperature for air-drying basil leaves is 16 degrees centigrade. The ideal place for drying your basil leaves is near an air conditioner or heating vent or outward-facing kitchen window. Hang the basil to dry until the leaves are brown and brittle.
The drying process should take somewhere around two to three weeks. Once dry, remove the bunch from the string and lightly crush the leaves with your fingertips. Gently tap the crushed herb into a spice pot or an airtight jar and store it for future use.
If pressed for time, sun dry the basil leaves for faster results. Harvest, rinse and dry the basil leaves and place it on a clean sheet of linen or cotton. Spread it flat in the sun and turn the basil leaves after every three or four hours to make sure that it gets maximum sun exposure. Cover the leaves with a netted lid to save it from being blown away by the wind. Your dry basil will be ready for use in a week’s time.

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