How to Dry Lemon Balm
Love the delicate lemony flavor of lemon balm? Lemon balm is a prolific perennial plant, and it couldn't be easier to preserve its fresh scent for countless uses any time of the year. I'm sharing my favorite tips to help you learn how to dry lemon balm the right away so you can maximize your harvest and take care of your plant for years to come!
Ingredients
- fresh lemon balm leaves as much as you'd like to dry
Instructions
Air Drying
- Prepare your lemon balm for drying (tie small bunches with twine or arrange the clean lemon balm sprigs in a single layer on a large platter or sheet pan). If hanging, hang the bunch in a cool, dry place away from direct sunlight. If drying on a platter or sheet pan, just find a place the leaves can sit undisturbed with good circulation to avoid mold. I usually hang on a kitchen wall out of direct sunlight, which can drain the leaves of color.
- Allow the leaves to dry for 1-4 weeks or until completely dried and crumbly. Check every few days to see how the leaves are progressing. Lemon balm seems to dry faster than other herbs and is always done for me in just one week.
- Once fully dried, strip the dried leaves from the stems and transfer the leaves to an airtight container.
- Note: Make sure the leaves are fully dried or you can spread mold throughout your jar, which will make the entire batch unusable.
Food Dehydrator
- Arrange the springs in an even layer on your dehydrator trays.
- Dry at the lowest setting (95-105 F) for 12-18 hours or until the leaves are completely dry.
- Remove from the dehydrator and remove the dried leaves from the stems. Store leaves in an airtight jar or container.
Oven Method
- Preheat the oven to the lowest setting (usually 170 F).
- Place the parchment paper on a baking tray and arrange the leaves in an even layer.
- Set the pan in the oven and prop the door open halfway to reduce the temperature. This is very important. If the delicate leaves get too much heat, they will turn a dark color and lose most of their aroma/flavor.
- Let the leaves dry until crumbly (approximately 1 hour). Keep a very close eye on the leaves. I've scorched multiple batches in the oven despite being careful!
- Transfer to an airtight container