This past summer my parsley plant went nuts. I managed to get 4 or 5 clippings from it. We use a lot of it in our cooking, so the only way for us to keep it was to dehydrate it. Thank goodness it is so easy to do.
First thing I did was clip the stems, leaving about 5 inches or so left on the plant. Not sure if this is how to trim them, but this is what I do and it always comes back fast. Then I take all the leaves off and compost the stems. Wash up the leaves and dry them in a salad spinner.
Once that is done, place the leaves on your dehydrator trays leaving some room between the leaves. I left a ton of room between these leaves for some reason. I got to the point that I was dumping the leaves on the trays and spreading them out as much as I could in a single layer.
Set the dehydrator at 110°F and dry for 6-8 hours. I tend to do it for 8. You want the leaves brittle and to crumble easily. Leave the leaves whole and store them in an air tight container. When you use them, then you can crumble the leaves if you wish. It will release all the yummy smells of parsley.
The leaves stay this beautiful green color, just like the fresh parsley. They even smell just as yummy.
I happened to have a store bought jar of parsley in the cabinet and decided to compare the two. The store bought stuff was a dull green and smelled like, well, nothing. My dehydrated parsley looked and smelled like fresh parsley. Not to mention mine is cheaper.
This coming summer I am planting a bunch of Oregano and Thyme to dehydrate. I use those in my cooking a lot as well.
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