Herbs are defined as plants that provide savory or aromatic elements used in many of our household meals as flavoring or garnishes. They’re also used for medicinal purposes and fragrances that we spray on our bodies. Growing herbs is a great way to start your indoor garden, and amp up your culinary skills. Herbs can also have a long shelf life when stored correctly.
It’s worth noting that herbs aren’t the same as spices. Don’t worry, this is a common mistake that’s made.
Growing Herbs
Many of us who have become more sustainable in our households have turned to growing herbs in the back garden or even within our own homes. By growing your herbs indoors, you get the benefit of not only saving money but having a home that smells incredible, too.
The process of growing herbs is very straightforward. You’ll need a flower pot, the seeds from which the herbs will grow, and putting them in an environment where they’ll grow, ideally next to a window where there’s a source of natural light. There are many examples of herbs that you can grow indoors, that include basil, mint, and parsley.
Drying Herbs
But what about drying your herbs once they’ve grown? There are various ways on how to dry herbs. One of the ways can be to dry the herbs with a herb drying rack as pictured above. You may also find it useful to place your herbs in an oven to dry them out.
Make sure you’re setting the oven to the lowest temperature possible, placing them on baking paper to avoid anything sticking.
Also, just lying them out in a warm spot and turning them over every twelve hours should dry them. Once they’ve been dried out, they’ll be reading for storing!
Storing Herbs
It is really up to you which method of storage you prefer! Whether it’s the aesthetically pleasing option of placing them in jars, to simply keeping them in the fridge, they will continue to provide plenty of flavors!
Once you’ve got your dried herbs ready, these can be used in whatever dishes you wish to put them in. You can also use them in hot teas for medicinal purposes or to put certain herbs like lavender, into linen bags for keeping your clothing cupboards and drawers fresh.
Herbs have many fantastic uses and you’ll likely find that many of them are easy to grow at home or outside in your garden! It’s just another way of saving money and providing a food source from your own home. At Earnest Earth, we also provide one-of-a-kind indoor herb garden kits!
