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Would a salad spinner help basil leaves not to stick together?

Matt McSpadden

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posted 6 months ago

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Hi All,
Has anyone tried a salad spinner with basil leaves?

I am experimenting this year with drying a lot of herbs to try and start a side hustle selling them. I have been able to come up with what I think is a good solution for bulk drying, but one thing I ran into was washing basil leaves. When I washed the basil, I just used a collander and my hands. When the leaves got wet, the stick together. Separating them was really annoying. And when it's almost midnight and you have 3lb of basil to get laid out on drying racks... sometimes you just give up and put those bundles on the drying rack without separating them to a single leaf. This meant that my single leaves were done drying and the multi-leaf bundles still had some moisture left. I'd like to avoid that in the next batch. I was wondering if a salad spinner might be helpful for that sort of thing. Anyone ever tried it with basil?

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Deane Adams

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posted 6 months ago

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Don't know if the spinner would help or not. If you have one, give it a try. If you don't have one, place some Basil in a large piece of cheese cloth, go outside and give it a good whirl over your head.
And if you are anything like me and want to give the folks next door something else to talk about, incorporate a spinning, high step dance with a chant while drying the Basil.

Peace

Matt McSpadden

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posted 6 months ago

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Unfortunately I do not have a salad spinner to try :)

Your idea for a manual spinner made me laugh though. I'm actually wondering if I would be better off washing the leaves while still on the stems, and then pulling them apart. This first batch, I was taking the leaves off the stems first and then cleaning them.

Tereza Okava

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in my experience, any sort of trauma makes the basil get bruised and turn black, so I don't even wrap it in a towel or anything as i would other leaves. but maybe my basil is extra sensitive!

Anne Miller

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I am not sure a salad spinner would be worth the investment unless you already have one.

Most folks dry herbs by hanging the herbs from the stems them remove the leaves, sort of like this;

Source: https://permies.com/wiki/166076/pep-natural-medicine/Harvest-Dry-Store-Rosemary-medicine#1598292

This is something like the method I use:

Source: https://permies.com/wiki/128302/pep-natural-medicine/Dry-lemon-balm-tea-infusion#1873195

I did not have good luck growing basil so I have only dried lemon balm, parsley and rosemary. I may have forgotten some other herbs.

I would love to hear about your herb business when you get going.

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Deane Adams

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Pfft, such a simple thing, giving the gift of laughter to someone.

I have had a good day, my work is almost finished, I just need to find a fur baby to love on.

PS - We mostly used a gentle dunk in the sink of water with our herbs while still on the stems, then hung to drip dry. But we only did small amounts at a time.

Peace

Tereza Okava

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Matt, I think it matters how your basil comes out when it's done. if I'm drying mint, rosemary, indigo, or moringa, I tie it in bunches, wash it, and then hang it, or put it on racks, as shown above, and when it's dry i strip it off the branches and it gets crumbly.
I don't know if you crumble basil (I have never dried it! maybe I should try) but
I do know when i want to use it whole and need to wash and dry whole leaves it's a massive pain in the behind.

Matt McSpadden

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Anne Miller wrote:... Most folks dry herbs by hanging the herbs from the stems them remove the leaves, sort of like this;

I understand that is how most people do it :)... and I should probably try it but... I am trying to store the leaves whole to keep the flavor for longer. My assumption is that if I dry them first and then try to remove the leaves... that the leaves would get very broken. I have not actually tried it though. I've got another batch to do, maybe I should try it with stems on and see if I can gently remove the leaves after drying.

Jay Angler

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Matt McSpadden wrote: My assumption is that if I dry them first and then try to remove the leaves... that the leaves would get very broken. I have not actually tried it though. I've got another batch to do, maybe I should try it with stems on and see if I can gently remove the leaves after drying.

I'm crap at growing basil (I think our nights are too cool.) but I grow and dry lots of other things so hear are my thoughts.

1. First, where is you basil growing - does it get enough dirt on it to need washing? Can you grow it with other plants protecting it enough that it will be cleaner? Granted, I live where air pollution is quite low. I'm asking, in case you haven't considered this is possible.

2. The things that I dry on stems, I find that if they're "crispy dry", if I slide my hands from the growing tip, down the stalk, most of the leaves snap off without crushing/breaking. So yes, I'd try that. Are you purely air drying? An hour or so in a low oven at the very end, might give the crispiness needed if this doesn't work with purely air drying. Pointing a dehumidifier output at them would have the same effect... Yes, both use electricity, but much less than doing the whole job with electricity.

3. If you decide to buy a salad spinner, I highly recommend the "pump action ones" - so did this rating article: https://www.seriouseats.com/equipment-the-best-salad-spinner I don't have that brand, and it wasn't cheap, but the cheap ones don't stand up to long term, heavier use, and the hand crank style are both harder on the human body and wear out. I use mine to spin my blanched green beans for freezing - a little heavier use than salad leaves!

4. You're doing quantity. Here's a possibly crazy thought. Do you have a top loading washing machine? Put the wet leaves in several pillow cases and put them on the machine's spin cycle? The pillow cases should stop them from picking up any wandering microbes.

Good luck with your experiments!

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Carla Burke

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posted 6 months ago

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No salad spinner? No worries, if you have a natural fiber pillow case or mesh laundry bag. Toss your basil (or other leafies) in, go outside, get a good grip on your new 'salad spinner', and twirl it in the air until no more liquid flings off/out. Et, voila!

The only thing...more expensive than education is ignorance.~Ben Franklin

Matt McSpadden

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does it get enough dirt on it to need washing?

My hope is to sell it to the permies, so probably it should be washed regardless, though it is from a certified organic farm (my current situation doesn't give me enough space to grow bulk herbs).

The things that I dry on stems, I find that if they're "crispy dry", if I slide my hands from the growing tip, down the stalk, most of the leaves snap off without crushing/breaking.

That gives me some hope. I am currently using a dehumidifier in a small space right now. I'm planning to do a thread later about it once I have a better handle on how it does. So far I have dried about 3lb of basil and 5lb of parsley. Thyme and Rosemary should be ready in a week or two so I can try those.

Anne Miller

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I never wash my herbs before drying them.

It is windy here so any dirt probably gets blown away.

Dirt has minerals in it so it is not a bad thing. Though to me, as the herbs dry the dirt probably falls off.

If I wanted to keep my leaves whole like the bay leaves that I buy, I would remove each one and place on a drying rack similar to the 2nd picture I posted.

I used to have a mesh screen for drying sweaters and feel that something like that would be idea for drying leaves.

This is not the one I had though it gives the general idea:

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Fimeskey-1-Air-Drying-Rack-Rack-With-Net-Air-Drying-Food-Drying-Wooden-Rack-Spaghetti-Stackable-Drying-Dryer-Rack-Kitchen-Dining-Bar/5956663383

There are only two of us so we dont generate a lot of laundry so the top of my washer is a perfect place for drying herbs.

Invasive plants are Earth's way of insisting we notice her medicines. Stephen Herrod Buhner
Everyone learns what works by learning what doesn't work. Stephen Herrod Buhner

Matt McSpadden

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Location: Central Maine (Zone 5a)

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posted 6 months ago

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I really like that drying rack. I bought a hanging one with multiple tiers... but you can only detach 2 at a time... which makes loading and unloading difficult for the bottom layer of the two. I had thought of making some racks myself with screen, but hadn't thought of a good way to stack them... those dowels are a really good and simple option. I was thinking of like bricks or blocks of wood.

Stinging nettles are edible. But I really want to see you try to eat this tiny ad:

permaculture and gardener gifts (stocking stuffers?)

https://permies.com/wiki/permaculture-gifts-stocking-stuffers