How to dry mint at home

How to prepare mint for drying

Carefully sort through the greens, discarding rotten, undermined by insects or disease-affected twigs and leaves. Rinse the mint under cold running water to remove dust and debris.

If you plan to harvest only the leaves, separate them from the twigs. Spread the mint in a single layer on a paper towel and let it dry. To make this happen faster, you can periodically blot the greens with napkins.

How to air dry mint

1. In brooms

Gather the mint into small bunches so that the stems are loose. At the bottom, tie a broom with a rope and make a small loop. Hang the blanks in a shaded, warm, dry and well-ventilated area, such as a porch or attic. Make sure the greenery is out of direct sunlight during the day.

In this form, mint will dry for about 2 weeks. After that, you can cut the stems into small pieces or remove leaves from the branches, and then send them to storage.

2. On paper

Line the tray with plain paper or paper towel. Spread a thin layer of sprigs or mint leaves on top. Place the cookware in a warm, dry and well-ventilated place out of direct sunlight. Periodically turn the fragrant herb with your hands so that it dries evenly.

The whole process will take approximately 1-2 weeks. If you dried the greens whole, remove the leaves from the stems or cut them into small pieces.

How to dry mint in an electric dryer

In this way, you can prepare mint leaves.

Arrange them on the appliance grill in one layer no more than 2 cm thick. If there is a lot of greenery, you can fill several trays with it and put them on top of each other. Set the lowest temperature (usually around 30-35 degrees) in the device.

Check the mint periodically to make sure it is dry enough. The duration of the process depends on the device. On average, it will take about 8 hours.

Allow mint to cool to room temperature before storing.

How to dry mint in the oven

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spread mint on it in a thin layer. Put in the oven and turn on the temperature of 60-70 degrees. Use the "convection" mode, if available. If not, leave the door ajar by about 10 cm.

Drying mint in this way will take about 20 minutes. In the process, look into the oven and check the greens. If the leaves begin to curl around the edges, then the mint has dried out. Turn off the device, remove the tray and let the grass cool. Then put away for storage.

How to dry mint in the microwave

The fastest way to prepare fragrant leaves.

Arrange them in a single layer on a plate lined with paper towels or a napkin. If possible, set the appliance to minimum power. Put the mint in the microwave and turn it on for 5-10 seconds several times. After each cycle, open the door and check the leaves: as soon as their edges rise and begin to curl, remove the plate from the microwave and let the greens cool. Drying time depends on the device and the size of the raw material.

How to store dried mint

As mentioned above, if you have used a microwave, oven, or electric dryer, let the mint cool completely at room temperature first.

Glass or tin cans with a lid, plastic containers, fabric bags, plastic bags - with or without a zipper - are suitable for storing greens. Spread the twigs and leaves in the selected containers and close the lid, tie in a knot or close the clasp.

Store mint at room temperature in a dry place out of light, such as a kitchen cabinet. Dried mint can be used within 1–2 years.