Herb Drying Calculator

Herb dry weight and jars from fresh pick.

What it does

Drying shrinks herbs to a fraction of picked weight as water leaves. Leafy types land near four to one fresh to crisp dry, so a basket weighs far more than its jars. This page divides by four and turns dry weight into jar counts.

The default is 200 g fresh basil. Dry need is 50 g, filling 2 jars of 30 g. Imperial converts the same harvest to 7.1 oz and gives 1.8 oz in 2 jars of 1 oz.

Ratio is planning, not promise. Morning cut leafy herbs dry near the ratio, woody stems lag, and rain harvests carry extra water. Dry until leaves crumble before jarring, since limp jars mold.

Jars are volume guides. Grind size and settling change grams per jar, so fill by look after weighing the batch total.

How to use

1. Pick metric or imperial first (metric default).
2. Enter fresh weight.
3. Read dry weight first.
4. Read jars next.
5. Strip stems before weighing dry.

Formula

fresh

Fresh picked weight with stems.

dry

Crisp dried leaf weight.

Four to one is a planning ratio for leafy herbs at crisp dry; thyme and rosemary run nearby while thick stems and wet harvests move it. Jars assumed 30 g (1 oz) dried; grind and pack density shift fills.

Worked example

Reference table

Limits

• Leafy average. Woody and wet vary.
• Fixed 4 to 1. Thick stems differ.
• Jar sizes fixed at 30 g / 1 oz.
• Stems and spoilage excluded.

Common mistakes

• Jarring limp herbs that mold.
• Weighing stems as leaf.
• Mixing fresh with dry measures in recipes.
• Grinding before fully crisp.
• Storing clear in light.

Try it yourself

Quick checks. Answers sit tucked under each question.

Questions

Sources

• NCHFP: Drying herbs
• USDA: FoodData Central

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