Content
- For kitchen and medicine: Dry rosemary properly
- Harvest rosemary
- Dry rosemary needles
- Rosemary dry or freeze?
- Dry rosemary by hanging
- Rosemary in the oven or microwave to dry
- Keep dried rosemary
- Tips & Tricks
For kitchen and medicine: Dry rosemary properly
Rosemary is one of the most popular culinary herbs. Thanks to its intense aroma, even very simple dishes clearly gain in flavor, and the spice makes digestible foods easier to digest. Unlike many other herbs, rosemary does not lose its intensity when dried, quite the contrary. By the way, rosemary should always be added at the beginning of cooking, especially if it is dry. We show you different proven methods for drying rosemary.
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Basically, you can harvest rosemary throughout the year, using either the individual needles (which is very expensive, you want to dry a lot) or whole shoots are picked. Rosemary can also be easily harvested during and after flowering; Some experts even believe that the herb is most spicy at this point in time. However, it is best to harvest certain rosemary for drying in the late morning or at lunchtime, when it has not rained for about two or three days - then the herb is dry enough so as not to be attacked by mold. Only healthy and undamaged plant parts are picked.
Dry rosemary needles
It is better not to wash the rosemary sprigs or needles before drying, as the moisture favors mold. Rosemary dries best if you spread the individual needles lying on a kitchen towel, cover them with fly gauze and store them in a room-warm and well ventilated place. However, you should avoid direct sunlight, as this will volatilize the essential oils. Apply the needles several times a day. They are dried as soon as they easily crumble and crackle. Smaller quantities can then be minced well with a mortar, larger ones can be ground in a food processor (with a nutmill attachment).
Rosemary dry or freeze?
Basically, there is nothing against freezing fresh rosemary needles. In contrast to basil, the herb does not lose its aroma. You can freeze whole branches, but only the needles. Incidentally, if you do not want to bother and pluck each pin, freeze the sprigs of rosemary. Then the needles are easier to remove from the stem.
Dry rosemary by hanging
Whole branches can be dried well by hanging. To do this, tie some branches together loosely to a small posy and hang them upside down in a dry and warm place - at a sufficient distance to allow the air to circulate. However, make sure that it is dark here too - sunlight only causes the aroma to volatilize and the needles as a spice finally become unusable. Ideal are, for example, a boiler room, a warm basement or an attic. The branches are dried after about two to three weeks, whereby the stems can not be used. therefore you should only pluck and store the needles.
Rosemary in the oven or microwave to dry
Like many other herbs, rosemary can be easily dried in the oven. This procedure is particularly advisable if the conventional methods do not work due to lack of space or insufficient conditions. For oven drying, proceed as follows:
As soon as stalks and needles can not be bent anymore and become brittle, the rosemary has dried completely. Now you can pluck the needles from the stems - the stems can not be used - and store in a suitable container. Anyone who wants to can grind the needles beforehand with a mortar, a grain or coffee grinder or with a food processor. Of course, rosemary can also be dried in a dehydrator.
Keep dried rosemary
The dried and cooled rosemary (if it has been dried in the oven) can be transferred to tightly closed containers - ideally with a screw cap. The finished spice should be stored in a dark and cool place, such as the kitchen cupboard. Sunlight destroys the sensitive and volatile essential oils.
Tips & Tricks
Rosemary sprigs should be crushed only after drying, but preferably only immediately before use. In this way, the very volatile essential oils are best preserved. The needles can be cut, shredded and ground.
IJA