How to Dry Basil at Home

Cut whole sprigs of basil from the plant - you'll strip the leaves off the stems in the next step. Pick in the morning after the dew has dried but before the heat of the day, when the essential oils in the leaves are most concentrated.

Take more than you think you need. The leaves shrink down to about a quarter of their fresh volume once dried.

Use your thumbnail and forefinger right at the base of each leaf to pop it off the stem. Drop the leaves into a clean bowl as you go.

The reason to do this now (and not after drying): dried stems are bitter and woody, and once everything is shriveled up they're a pain to pick out. Spending five minutes pinching now saves twenty minutes of sorting later.

Spread the leaves on oven trays or cooling racks set on sheet pans. A single layer is ideal, but some overlap is fine - the heat circulates around them as they shrink.

Don't pile them. Leaves on the bottom of a pile will steam instead of drying and you'll end up with a soggy spot in the middle of an otherwise crisp batch.

Set the oven to between 170 and 195°F. The lower end of that range preserves more flavor; the higher end is fine if your basil came in wet from a quick rinse.

Crack the oven door open about an inch with a wooden spoon to let moisture escape. If the door stays sealed, the leaves end up cooking instead of drying.

Check at the 90-minute mark. Some ovens run faster, some slower. The leaves shrink and darken visibly as they go.

Pull a tray out and press a finger into a leaf. Properly dried basil crumbles between your fingers. The leaves have darkened from bright green to a deeper, almost army green and have lost their gloss.

If any leaves still feel pliable or look shiny, give the tray another 15-20 minutes. Chewy basil is still wet inside and will mold within a week of being jarred.

Two ways to crush. Tip the trays into a stainless steel bowl and crush the leaves between clean hands - quick, but messy if there's any breeze in the kitchen.

Or tip everything into a zip-top bag and crush from the outside. The bag method keeps the counter clean and gives you better control over how fine you grind. Stop when the pieces are about half the size of a pencil eraser - any finer and you lose flavor faster in storage.

Funnel the crushed basil into airtight glass jars. Label with the date and store away from heat and light. The spice rack above the stove is the worst place to keep dried herbs - the heat cooks the volatile oils right out of them. A pantry shelf or a cool drawer is ideal.