Fresh today, dry tomorrow

This Saturday, in between the shower spells and shed making i finally knocked up a drying frame. During these summer months we are greeted by an abundance of fresh herbs and plants in bloom. So there is no time like the present to dry and preserve them so that they can be enjoyed throughout the winter. The most important feature of any drying mechanism is to ensure there is a good airflow to all parts of the leaves/flowers. At this time of year it is best to harvest leaves and flowers (saving root harvesting till the Autumn).

I made this frame with half of a pallet, some hessian fabric found on the street and some common garden netting. The hessian has been used to catch smaller petals and leaves which can fall through the netting but can be omitted if you are only drying bigger plants. Any other fabric offcuts / scraps can be used in place of hessian too.

Broken half pallet, hessian and garden netting

Step by step...

1. Use tacks (or bent over nails as i didnt have any tacks on me at the time!) to nail down the hessian on the bottom of your wood frame

Tacking down the hessian

2. Measure out the size of netting (you can choose finer holes for smaller flowers) and lay over your frame.

3. Using offcuts of wood or whatever bits you have, place on top of the netting, forming a clamp and nail into place.

Netting clamped in place with wooden edge panels

4. Repeat this on all four sides, making sure to pull the netting taught (a helping friend makes this easier!)

Completed frame

5. And there you have, you very simple drying frame which you can put in a dry well ventilated space, ideally out of direct sunlight.

Frame complete with herb and flowers drying away

And now you are ready to toss onto it whatever you are drying out. Depending on heat and humidity it should take about 3 days to dry most things. Then you can store them in jars of paper bags to keep you well stocked
until next Spring.