Drying Lemon Verbena For Delightful Taste & Smell

Here are fresh Lemon Verbena branches, stripped off the main stem and ready for plucking off each individual leaf for drying. 

Last fall, I experimented with drying the leaves like this, meaning on these terminal stems. It worked well until it was time to remove the individual leaves after drying them on the stem. Then I was sorry.

Dried leaves are harder to remove from the dried stem.

So, the easiest way to achieve the best and loveliest results is to pluck each individual leaf off the fresh stem prior to drying.

Also, I used my Excalibur Dehydrator to dry the individual Lemon Verbena leaves. Turns out, that was not ideal. Even set on low heat a few leaves were scorched.

I found that air drying in the shade is best, with low humidity and high air temperature. If your body would not be comfortable in the warm moving air your Lemon Verbena probably won't like it either.

My personal, random conclusion from experimenting with a small harvest at home last fall matches up with the results of controlled scientific studies, however. That's a comfort!

Results published in the European Journal of Experimental Biology concluded, "... that shade drying method is suitable for highest essential oil quantity..." When the tops of growing Lemon Verbena plants were harvested and dried, "the different drying methods (shade-drying, sun-drying and oven-drying) had a significant effect on the quantity of essential oil."

We might not be thinking about the quantity of essential oil when we sip a cup of Lemon Verbena tea, but that's what gives us the lovely, intense scent of lemon.

Here is Gabriele Stoll in her shaded hoop house in Germany, gently sweeping Lemon Verbena leaves dried naturally, for the highest essential oil content. Someday I may have a shaded hoop house, too!

Am I only dreaming, or could it become a reality on our one-acre pot of land by the lake in north Texas? Only time will tell. Here's a picture of my fantasy hoop house, ready for Lemon Verbena starts and maybe even some Bonsai:

(Oh yes, it will have a door someday...
and a shade cloth cover, too.)