Rosemary is one of the most popular kitchen herbs. Due to its intense aroma, even very simple dishes gain significantly in taste, and the spice also makes difficult-to-digest dishes easier to digest. Unlike many other herbs, rosemary does not lose its intensity through drying, quite the opposite. Incidentally, you should always add rosemary at the beginning of cooking, especially if it is dry. We will show you various tried and tested methods for drying rosemary.

harvest rosemary

In principle, you can harvest rosemary all year round, whereby either the individual needles (which is very time-consuming if you want to dry a lot) or whole shoots are picked off. Rosemary can also be harvested during and after the flowering period without any problems; some experts even believe that this is when the herb is at its spiciest. However, the best time to harvest rosemary intended for drying is in the late morning or midday when it has not rained for about two or three days - then the herb is dry enough not to be attacked by mold. Only healthy and undamaged plant parts are picked.

Dry rosemary needles

Before drying, it is better not to wash the rosemary sprigs or needles, as the moisture promotes mold. Rosemary dries best if you spread the individual needles out flat 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 evaporate the essential oils. Turn the needles several times a day. They're dry when they crumble easily and crackle. Smaller amounts can then be crushed well with a mortar, larger ones can be ground in a food processor (with nut grinder attachment).

Dry or freeze rosemary?

In principle, there is nothing wrong with freezing fresh rosemary needles. In contrast to basil, for example, the herb does not lose its aroma. You can freeze entire branches or just the needles. By the way, if you don't want to go through the trouble of plucking each needle individually, freeze the rosemary sprigs. The needles can then be removed more easily from the handle.

Dry rosemary by hanging

Whole branches can also be dried by hanging them up. To do this, loosely tie a few twigs together into a small bouquet and hang them upside down in a dry and warm place - at a sufficient distance so that the air can circulate. Again, make sure it's dark - sunlight will only cause the aroma to dissipate and eventually render the needles useless as a spice. A boiler room, a warm cellar or an attic are ideal. The branches are dry after about two to three weeks, but the stems cannot be used. therefore, all you should do is pluck and save the needles.

Dry rosemary in the oven or microwave

Like many other herbs, rosemary can be dried in the oven without any problems. This procedure is particularly advisable when the conventional methods do not work due to lack of space or insufficient conditions. For oven drying, proceed as follows:

  • Preheat the oven to a maximum of 50 °C, but 30 to 40 °C is better.
  • Harvest the rosemary sprigs.
  • Remove wilted or damaged needles.
  • Rosemary, which is to be dried in the oven, can be washed beforehand.
  • Then dry the washed rosemary with a kitchen towel.
  • Line an oven tray with parchment paper.
  • Spread the sprigs of rosemary generously on the paper.
  • Leave enough space in between for air to circulate.
  • Place the tray with the rosemary on the top shelf of the oven.
  • Close the oven door and wedge a wine cork or wooden spoon between the door and the oven.
  • The resulting gap ensures that escaping moisture can escape.
  • Turn the rosemary about once an hour.
  • The branches are completely dry after about two to four hours.

As soon as the stems and needles can no longer be bent and become brittle, the rosemary is finished drying. Now you can pluck the needles from the stems - the stems cannot be used - and store them in a suitable container. If you want, you can finely 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.

Save the dried rosemary

The dried and cooled rosemary (if it has been dried in the oven) can be transferred to containers that can be closed tightly - ideally with a screw cap. The finished spice should be stored in a dark and cool place, such as in the kitchen cupboard. Sunlight destroys the delicate and volatile essential oils.

tips and tricks

Rosemary sprigs should only be chopped up after drying, but preferably just before use. This is the best way to preserve the very volatile essential oils. The needles can be cut, crushed and also ground.

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