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While fresh parsley is useful in the kitchen, it also pays to learn how to dry parsley so you can extend your homegrown harvest for many months to come. While many cooks think of parsley as a mere garnish, it is quite a flavorful herb that can add a touch of freshness to recipes. Gardeners who grow a bumper crop of either flat leaf or curly parsley can dry parsley one of three ways. In this article, you’ll learn these techniques and additional tips for success.
Why dry parsley
Some culinary herbs are best used as fresh herbs in a green, recently harvested state, including basil, cilantro, and mint. But others make great dried herbs, such as oregano, thyme, and rosemary. Parsley sits somewhere in between because you can use it fresh or dried. If you dry parsley correctly, the flavor is milder, but it still adds a nice accent to your favorite recipe.
Dried parsley lasts for months. If properly dried, it retains its color and bright flavor, though it won’t be quite as strong as fresh parsley. I use my dried parsley in chicken dishes, in my homemade stock and bone broth, and as a topper on pan-seared fish filets.
How long does it take to dry parsley
When thinking about how to dry parsley, it’s important to consider how long the process will take. Some drying methods are faster than others. Regardless of which of these three parsley-drying methods you use, the easiest way to know when the leaves are dry is by feel. Fully dry parsley will crumble when rubbed between your thumb and forefinger. It flakes into smaller pieces easily and will be crunchy, not leathery.
3 methods to try
Learning how to dry parsley involves choosing which method is best for you. There are three basic ways to dry parsley: oven drying, air drying, and dehydrator drying. The step by step instructions you’ll find for each method below are useful in helping to determine which method to try, but equipment availability is also a consideration, as well as the effort and time each technique requires.
Preparing parsley for drying
To prepare fresh parsley for drying, harvest it in the mid-morning, after the dew has dried but before the plants are stressed by afternoon heat. Bring your parsley harvest indoors and rinse off the dirt in a sink filled with cold water for a minute or two. Remove the parsley from the water and dry it in a salad spinner. Then lay the parsley out on a kitchen towel and pat it dry from the top with some paper towels or another cloth towel.
Next, if you plan to dry your parsley in the oven or a dehydrator, remove the stems, leaving only the small leaflets for drying. I like to use my herb stripper to remove the stems efficiently. If you plan to air dry, leave the stems intact.
How to dry parsley in the oven
Oven drying is my favorite way to dry parsley. I find it to be the best method for preserving the color and flavor, and for drying large quantities of this herb at one time. The oven method dries the leaves very quickly and is very simple and straightforward. After preparing the parsley as noted above, spread the leaflets out in a single layer on a baking sheet. Preheat your oven to its lowest temperature. For my gas oven, that’s 100°F. For other ovens, the lowest temperature may be 200°F. Anything within that range will work.
After the oven is preheated, put the baking tray (or trays) in the oven on its middle rack. If you have more than one cookie sheet, put the second tray on the rack just beneath the middle one. Close the oven door and let the parsley dry for 10 to 15 minutes. Open the oven and use a spatula to flip the parsley over or move it around on the tray (you don’t have to be perfect, just do your best). Return the tray to the oven for another 15-20 minutes. You may need to repeat this process, depending on how dry the parsley is.
The total drying time for this method is anywhere from 25 to 45 minutes. The only way to know your parsley is fully dry is to crumble it between your thumb and forefinger. If it shatters easily, it’s dry.
Some people also dry their parsley in a microwave oven on a dish, but I find microwave drying to be less efficient than oven drying because you can only do a small amount of parsley at a time.
How to dry parsley in a dehydrator
You can also dry parsley leaves in a food dehydrator. Whether you choose a large dehydrator with square racks or a smaller one with round trays, drying parsley is possible. Spread the prepared parsley leaves on the dehydrator racks in a single layer. The best temperature and the amount of time required will depend on the specific brand of dehydrator you have. Most dehydrators come with an instruction booklet that offers information on what time and temperature is required for drying herbs such as parsley.
Hanging parsley to dry
When it comes to learning how to dry parsley, air drying is by far the easiest method, though it is also the one that results in the poorest quality of the finished product. Parsley that’s air dried tends to lose its deep green color and the flavor is more subtle. Still, if oven or dehydrator drying isn’t an option, air drying is another choice.
To air dry parsley, do not remove the leaves from the stems after washing them and use an additional towel to remove any and all moisture from the leaves. Gather 5 to 8 stems into a small bundle and wrap the base of the stems with a rubber band. Hang the bundle upside down in a cool, dry room out of direct sunlight. Parsley air dries in 2 to 4 weeks depending on the humidity levels. You’ll know it’s dry when it crumbles in your hand. I find air drying works better for flat-leafed parsley than it does for curly types.
The best way to store dried parsley
No matter which way you dry parsley, proper storage is essential. Crush the dried parsley in a plastic zipper-top or paper bag and then transfer it to a glass jar, a decorative spice jar, or another airtight container (I love these). I also like to use a Mason jar or an old peanut butter jar with a lid firmly in place to store my dried parsley. Put the container in a dark, dry cupboard.
How long do the dried leaves last?
Whether you use your dried parsley in soups, stews, or stocks, you can expect it to last for 6 months to a year if stored in a closed container out of direct sunlight, just as you would store herbs like dried oregano or sage.
Parsley is a staple of the herb garden, and by learning how to dry parsley correctly, this flavorful herb can be a staple of your homegrown pantry, too.
For more herb-growing advice, check out the following articles:
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