Like everyone, I LOVE those charming magazine photos of herbs and bouquets hanging in a country kitchen…
However, using this method for certain herbs such as thyme, basil, oregano, roses, etc, we are likely to find our perfectly dried herbs and flowers … all over the floor.
Today I want to share a fun and effective way of how to dry herbs easily, and fashionably too!
It’s also a great way to save garden seeds, and attract fairies!
You do believe in fairies, right? =)
So here’s our magical secret: ballerina tutu fabric, aka, nylon tulle.
This fabric is not only oh-so-pretty, it also holds its shape almost like a little container so the herbs won’t get compacted.
Its fine mesh keeps the dust out while allowing plenty of air circulation.
Herbs such as bay or lavender do not fall off easily when dried, so they won’t need this method.
But many herbs and flowers, such as thyme, or the leafy herb lemon verbena, which has such a lemony fragrance, becomes very brittle when dried, so this is a great way to dry them.
To dry herbs, first get the fabric (about $1 per yard at the fabric store) and cut them into 18″ squares. Feel free to vary the size according to the type of herbs you are drying.
Next either tie a bundle of herbs and then tie the fabric around the bundle, or for smaller herbs like thyme, you can put sprigs of them directly inside the fabric, then gather the fabric and tie a string to it.
Hang these little bundles from a branch, make sure they are out of direct sun light, and in a well ventilated space.
In 2-5 days, the herbs will be all perfectly dried and ready for use in the home!
Not only is this pretty fabric a great help for drying herbs, it’s also really useful for saving garden seeds.
Seeds from these beautiful seed heads of cilantro, onion, fennel, and carrots can fall off before we catch them. We can save some for the next season, while leaving plenty for our feathered friends.
To do so, just tie a piece of tulle around the seed head once the flowers finish blooming and seeds begin to form. As thee seed ripens, it will fall into the fabric bundle. How easy is that?
And all our garden fairies will be happy too because they too, love this dreamy fabric! =)
More garden articles you may love-
Happy growing! xo
I have never dried herbs and would like to. Thanks for the information and great photos!
Wow, I’ve never seen herbs dried that way! I will have to share it with my daughter!
This is wonderful! I’ve never dried herbs before, but would love to. We are buying a house soon so I can’t wait to grow some flowers and plant a garden so I can try some of these ideas out. Love it!
Je découvre votre site et je l’aime beaucoup…Et là ces belles petites pochettes de tulle pour sécher les herbes cueillies c’est une très belle et bonne idée…
Merci et belle nuit…
A bientôt…
Merci beaucoup Chamoise!! =)
I just got my herb garden going so this is perfect for me! I definitely won’t be able to use up everything. I wonder is the same thing would work for something like cheesecloth?
hi miranda! cheese cloth won’t hold its shape like these tulles so the air circulation won’t be as effective! =)
Great idea! My herb garden always produces more than I need. I will try this! Sharing. thanks,
Je découvre votre site et j’aime cette belle idée de faire sécher les herbes aromatiques dans des petits tulles colorés… Merci…
Love the idea of using tutu fabric. The only problem you might encounter is insects vacating the herbs will be trapped in the netting. One of the reasons for drying herbs naturally is for the insects to vacate once they know the plant is no longer viable. I might suggest hanging herbs for 1-2 days first, to allow bugs to escape, then place into netting for final drying and to catch seeds dropping 🙂
very good point philip! i will add a note to the article! thank you! =)
I absolutely ADORE this idea!! I just started getting into growing my own herbs so I can’t wait to try this out! P.S. Do you recommend any herbs for chickens? As in… keeping away the bugs or in their nesting areas?
hi lz! such a great question! =) i will for sure experiment more in future with plants that are great for chickens =) i would start with fragrant herb plants like lavender, basil, mint, lemon balm, oregano, scented geraniums, etc, they would repel bugs and won’t be damaged too much by chckies! =)
Great suggestions! I just so happen to have mint and basil readily available. So psyched to try this out 🙂
What a fabulous idea…basil and oregano are ready…wish I had know this before I lost my lavender!
I BELIEVE IN FAIRIES! Haha awesome job, Ananda! It’s simple, it’s adorable and I totally løve it!
I have lots of roses I need to start cutting and drying for rose oil and the thouught of how many pans I was gonna need to dry them all was overwelming! This is such a great idea. I’m so excited to try I half a mind to tear into my daughters huge tutu I made for her as a child. LOL I won’t it’s to beautiful but I thought about it….
rose oil sound amazing! at least the tutu fabrics can be used over and over again! =)