CULINARY HERBS 25 



DRYING AND STORING 



When only a small quantity of an herb is to be 

 dried, the old plan of hanging loose bunches from 

 the ceiling of a warm, dry attic or a kitchen will 

 answer. Better, perhaps, is the use of trays covered 

 with clean, stout manilla paper upon which thin 

 layers of the leaves are spread. These are placed 

 either in hot sunlight or in the warm kitchen where 

 warm air circulates freely. They must be turned 

 once a day until all the moisture has been evaporated 

 from the leaves and the softer, more delicate parts 

 have become crisp. Then they may be crunched 

 and crumbled between the hands, the stalks and the 

 hard parts rejected and the powder placed in air- 

 tight glass or earthenware jars or metal cans, and 

 stored in a cool place. If there be the slightest trace 

 of moisture in the powder, it should be still further 

 dried to insure against mold. Prior to any drying 

 process the cut leaves and stems should be thor- 

 oughly washed, to get rid of any trace of dirt. 

 Before being dried as noted above, the water should 

 all be allowed to evaporate. Evaporation may be 

 hastened by exposing the herbs to a breeze in a 

 shallow, loose basket, a wire tray or upon a table. 

 While damp there is little danger of their being 

 blown away. As they dry, however, the current of 

 air should be more gentle. 



The practice of storing powdered herbs in paper 

 or pasteboard packages is bad, since the delicate oils 

 readily diffuse through the paper and sooner or later 

 the material becomes as valueless for flavoring pur- 



