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How to Dry Lavender in a Dehydrator

Dehydrators work by providing constant heat and air circulation, whose combined effects remove moisture from food, thereby shrinking it and causing it to weigh less. If you have a food dehydrator, don’t hesitate to use it to dry herbs as well. Lavender dries very well in a food dehydrator, and dried lavender has a number of aromatherapy applications.

Instructions

    • 1

      Select lavender stalks from your garden whose flowers have opened completely. Cut lavender immediately before you are going to dry it.

    • 2

      Go over your lavender and make sure it is free of bugs, dead leaves or flowers, and other debris, but do not wash the lavender before it goes in the dehydrator.

    • 3

      Cut the stalks to fit your dehydrator.

    • 4

      Place the lavender in the drying tray of your dehydrator in a single layer.

    • 5

      Set the dehydrator anywhere between 85 and 100 degrees F. Adjust the temperature with each use to what you feel is ideal.

    • 6

      Allow the lavender to dry for two hours, checking it after the first hour and then every half an hour after that. If it needs more time to dry, check it every 15 minutes after that.