How To Dry Oregano Without a Dehydrator

Bumper crop of oregano this year? Learn how to dry oregano using this quick and easy method that will allow you to dry LOTS of oregano for use all year round. Keep the dried oregano stored in a mason jar and crumble it into your favorite recipe when needed.

Once you have your dried oregano you should check out these oregano-heavy recipes:

• Smashed Oregano Lemon Garlic Potatoes with Feta
• Lemon and Oregano Chicken Skewers
• How to Use Up Lots of Oregano: Fresh Oregano Pesto

How To Dry Oregano?

Don't worry, drying oregano without a dehydrator is super simple.

Simply:

• cut the stems you want to dry, give them a good wash, and pat dry;
• line them side by side on a clean baking tray, pop into a dry, well-ventilated area (not in direct sunlight), and leave to dry.;
• optional: cover with a light cheesecloth in order to ensure those dust bunnies stay away, but I usually don't bother;
• turn the stems several times during the drying process to expose the leaves evenly to air and heat.

Tip: if space is at a premium then you can hang the oregano stems in bunches.

Just gather the leafy stems into a "bouquet", tie them together and hang them to dry in a well-ventilated area.

Fresh vs Dried

Oregano is a super simple herb to grow at home, whether that be in your veggie patch, or on the kitchen bench.

Fresh oregano is delicious, but the concentrated flavor when you dry the herb is just amazing.

I love using dried oregano in soup and casserole recipes as you get the flavor you need without the big leaves, which can be offputting.

I tend to reach for my homemade dried oregano and crumble it into a dish whilst cooking for this very reason, rather than going to the effort f having to wash, dry and chop the fresh stuff every time.

How Hard Is It To Grow and Dry Oregano In Bulk?

It's not.

Oregano is certainly one of the easiest culinary herbs to grow, and if you happened to get lucky (or you are a very skilled gardener?) you may have ended up with a bumper crop this season.

Our crop is M-A-S-S-I-V-E, and seeing as one of my new year's resolutions is to cut down on food waste, I have been running around like a blue arse fly trying to use oregano in just about everything.

It is such a versatile dried herb to have on hand.

Personally, I have recently invested in a dehydrator (thanks Black Friday), but before that spiffy machine, I was drying all my herbs using this very method.

You just need a little bit of space and a little bit of patience.

And it is totally worth the effort - oregano is just as good (if not better??) dried than it is fresh.

How To Harvest And Store Once Dried

Once the leaves are dry and the stems are stiff, which can take up to a week, you can remove the leaves for storage.

The best way to do this is to pinch the stem at the bottom and pull it up.

The leaves should fall away easily.

Tip: if the oregano leaves don't fall away easily it is because they are not dry enough. Leave for another couple of days and try again.

Pop the dried leaves into a glass mason jar with a lid and keep them in the spice drawer for about 6 months (you can keep them for a year, but the flavor is best within the first 6 months).

That's it!

What's your favorite way to use oregano in bulk? I just love to hear from you so be sure to pop back and leave a comment sharing your genius ideas with us all! Happy eating.

Recipe