• Home
  • About
    • Privacy Policy
  • Blog
  • Prep-Ahead Meals Cookbooks
  • Recipes
  • Lifestyle
  • Gardening
  • Kid’s Activities
  • Gluten-Free Recipes
  • Budgeting Tips
↑

Premeditated Leftovers™

Prep-Ahead Meals, Cooking Tips, and Frugal Living

  • Cookbooks
    • Prep-Ahead Breakfasts and Lunches
    • Prep-Ahead Meals From Scratch
  • Recipe Index
  • Members Area
    • Member Login
    • Join Us
  • Home
  • Blog
  • Recipes
  • Gluten-Free Recipes
  • Lifestyle
  • Garden
  • DIY
  • Kids
  • Budget

You are here: Home / Gardening / How to Dry Herbs in a Paper Bag

How to Dry Herbs in a Paper Bag

August 24, 2010 by Alea Milham 19 Comments

This post may contain affiliate links. Read our disclosure policy here.
14012 shares
  • Share
  • Tweet

how to dry herbs in a paper bag

Do you have excess herbs that you would like to dry? You don’t need a dehydrator; there are a variety of  ways you can dry herbs. One of the easiest way to dry herbs is by drying them in a paper bag. This method takes a little longer than other methods, but it is very easy and keeps the cuttings dust free while they are hanging to dry. You can also use this method to catch seeds from your herbs.

How to Dry Herbs in a Paper Bag

1. Cut 3 – 5 stems of the herb you wish to dry. Shake to remove any bugs. Pinch any damage leaves. Wash and thoroughly dry.

2. Make several holes in a paper lunch bag to ensure that air can circulate. Insert the stems into the bag.

3. Wrap a rubber band around the outside of the bag, securing stems. You want the rubber band to be secure, but not so tight that it will dig into the stems.

4. Use the rubber band to hang the paper bag from a hook:

Drying herbs in a brown paper bag

5. Check herbs after a week to see if they are dry. If not, check back in another 3 – 5 days until they crumble at the touch.

6. When dry, remove herbs from the bag. Remove the leaves from stems and store in an airtight container. You can store the leaves whole or crumble them first.

It will take 1 – 3 weeks for the herbs to dry, depending on your humidity level. Using a paper bag keeps dust off of the drying herbs and allows you to collect any leaves (or in the case of cilantro, any seeds) that may fall. They are ready once the leaves become crumbly to the touch. I store the dried leaves in an airtight, glass jar and crush as needed for recipes.

Do you dry herbs for use over the winter? Which method do you use?

More Tips for Working with Herbs

  • How to Freeze  Herbs 
  • How to Dry Herbs and Flowers
  • Tips for Growing an Indoor Herb Garden
  • How to Substitute Dried Herbs and Fresh Herbs
14012 shares
  • Share
  • Tweet

About Alea Milham

Alea Milham is the owner of Premeditated Leftovers and the author of Prep-Ahead Meals from Scatch. She shares her tips for saving money and time while reducing waste in her home. Her favorite hobby, gardening, is a frugal source of organic produce for her recipes. She believes it is possible to live fully and eat well while spending less.

Comments

  1. Little City Shibas says

    July 26, 2012 at 6:41 pm

    I put herbs in an ice cube tray and pour olive oil onto them then freeze and put into a baggie and store in the freezer.

    Reply
  2. Anonymous says

    May 10, 2011 at 12:53 pm

    I just pull the leaves from the stems, partially fill a paper bag with the leaves, shake the bag around every day or so, let them dry and then crush some for use and store other leaves in bags, jars,etc. in freezer.
    I keep it as simple as possible!
    Just don't make it harder or more complicated than needed.

    Reply
    • Barbara says

      October 4, 2021 at 11:00 am

      I agree – I do them the same way as Anonymous – also particularly great with Rosemary and Oregano too!

      Reply
  3. MaggieMojo says

    August 29, 2010 at 1:23 pm

    Thanks for posting this, I was just thinking about how I should dry my herbs (basil & tarragon) today. This is a very handy tip!

    Reply
  4. tamilyn says

    August 25, 2010 at 10:03 pm

    great idea! I have never dried herbs before-probably because this is the first time I have actually been able to GROW any!

    Reply
  5. Bette says

    August 25, 2010 at 1:10 pm

    oohhh thank-you! Ive been trying to figure out how to dry some of the herbs in my herb pot for the winter.

    Reply
« Older Comments

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Search

Prep-Ahead Breakfasts and Lunches by Alea Milham

Recent Articles:

How to attract wild birds to your yard.

Tips for Attracting Winter Birds

use succession planting to grow more food

How to Use Succession Planting to Grow More Food

Want more bees in your garden? Here are Tips for Attracting Bees to Your Garden including planting early blooming bee-friendly plants near your garden.

Tips for Attracting Bees to Your Garden

Prep-Ahead Meals from Scratch Where to Buy

BROWSE:

  • Blog
  • Cookbooks
  • Recipe Index
  • Members Area

ABOUT:

  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy
  • Disclosure

Welcome. I'm Alea!

On Premeditated Leftovers I share simple recipes made with whole foods, practical shopping tips, time saving techniques, and meal planning strategies. I also share tips for minimizing food waste, so more of the food that is purchased ends up on the table.

While volunteering as a budget counselor, I realized that food is the element of most people’s budgets where they have the greatest control. I set out to develop low-cost recipes from scratch to prove it’s possible to create delicious meals on a limited budget. Eating well while spending less is about more than just creating recipes using inexpensive ingredients; it’s about creatively combining ingredients so you don’t feel deprived and are inspired to stick to your budget.

Copyright ©2023, Premeditated Leftovers™. All Rights Reserved.
Design by Pixel Me Designs