I love oregano. I love the smell, I love the spice, I love it’s traditional medicinal benefits. And I’m Greek, so give me more oregano!
Our oregano bushes produce more than we can reasonably use fresh, so learning how to dry oregano is the best way to preserve your harvest for the winter months.
In this article I’ll explain how to harvest oregano, and how to prepare it for drying – plus our preferred method to drying herbs.
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Quick Answer: How to Dry Oregano
Drying oregano is fairly simple, with your cleaned, harvested stems, simply place in a dehydrator at 95-105°F for 24-48 hours. Once it’s completed, do the pinch test to confirm it’s brittle and dry. Grind and store the freshly dried oregano in a air-tight container and use for years to come.
When Is the Best Time to Harvest Oregano for Drying?
The best time to harvest oregano for drying is mid-morning after the morning dew has dried from the leaves. Pick healthy, green stems and harvest the herb before full flowering for the best taste.
Not sure where to make your cuts? Our complete guide on how to harvest oregano shows exactly where we cut the stems so the plant continues growing.
Should You Wash Oregano Before Drying It?
Some people say no, some people say it’s up to you. I say, yes, you should.
We always wash our herbs thoroughly before drying or before adding to medicinal herbal remedies – you don’t want extra protein in your spices.
Some people disagree with washing because it adds more moisture to the herb. We wash it, then dry it with a muslin cloth, and add that to our dehydrator. We’ve never had an issue so this is what I recommended.
Preparing Fresh Oregano for Drying
After harvesting the oregano, we dry it with a cloth or towel. Then sort through the stems and compost any damaged or diseased leaves and stems.
Then it’s as simple as adding the stems on the dehydrator tray and drying them.
How to Dry Oregano in a Dehydrator
As I’ve said, this is my preferred method for drying most herbs, like dill or thyme.
Step 1: Place Healthy, Clean Stems on Drying Rack
Place the clean oregano stems on the drying rack with space between each for airflow.
Step 2: Dehydrate for 24-48 hours
Dehydrate between 95°F and 105°F for 24-48 hours. If after the 48 hours the oregano leaves don’t feel brittle and dry, add more time to your dehydrator until it’s done.
Step 3: Remove Oregano Leaves from Stems
Once they are dried, pull your fingers down the stem to remove the oregano leaves easily. Be sure to do this overtop a bowl to catch your dried spice.
Optional: Put the oregano leaves into a coffee grinder or food processor to quickly grind up the leaves into tiny pieces.
Step 4: Store the Dried Oregano
One the dried oregano leaves are ground up either by hand by rubbing them together or via the food processor, store the spice in an air-tight container. I always recommend glass over plastic, but also reuse what you have too!
Store your dried oregano for years, but the herbs flavour will decrease with time.
How to Air Dry Oregano
With your completely dried oregano stems, bundle a handful together and tie string around the base of the stems to bind them. Once bound, hang them upside-down on the wall to dry out.
This process can take a few days to a few weeks depending on the mositure in the air and in your herbs.
Being completely honest – I dislike this method. Bugs and spiders like to make homes in the bundle of herbs and if your kitchen gets humid/moist while cooking, it will affect the herbs drying.
I tried this method a few times with a few different herbs and would never recommend it to anyone. In the end, I composted the air-dried herbs after 2 weeks of not being dried enough.
How Do You Know When Oregano Is Completely Dry?
The best way to ensure your oregano is completely dry is through the pinch and roll test.
Pinch a bundle of the dried herb in your fingers and gently roll it.
If the herb becomes brittle, falls apart, cracks – it’s good to go.
If it doesn’t, it might need more drying time.
How to Remove Dried Oregano From the Stems
It’s fairly simple. Grab the top of the stem, and using your fingers, pull down on the stem to release the leaves from the stem.
Always do this with a bowl under you to collect the falling leaves.
How to Store Dried Oregano
Place in an air-tight glass container and store for years.
We’ve also kept the large plastic spice containers from the store, washed them and use it to store our extra herbs. It’s worked very well too!
How Long Does Dried Oregano Last?
It can last years. The longer an herb sits, the more potency it loses. A dried herb last month will taste dramatically different than a dried herb from 5 years ago.
Frequently Asked Questions About Drying Oregano
Yes you can. Just remove the flower and flower stem from the rest of the stem.
You can actually do both. In the past I’ve done it off the stem – which works fine. But drying it on the stem is just a little lazier, maybe a tad harder when it comes to removing, but I prefer the lazy route.
Related Harvesting and Preserving Articles
- How to Harvest Oregano
- How To Harvest and Dry Thyme
- How to Harvest Dill (Without Damaging the Plant)
- How to Dry Dill (Using a Dehydrator)
Drying Oregano for Winter
We want to eat what we grow because we know where it came from. Growing your own food is so rewarding, it’s even a beautiful gift to share with others. Plus homegrown herbs just taste that much better.
If you’re learning how to preserve more of what you grow, explore our Garden-Based & Preserving Guides, where we share the methods that actually work for us here on our Zone 5 homestead.
We are growing our website with more articles all the time, and we invite you to grow with us. If you have any questions about how to dry oregano or would like to share some of your knowledge with us please leave a comment below. Happy Gardening!
