'Spice' Up Your Kitchen With A DIY Herb Drying Rack

Both pretty and practical, herb drying racks are farmhouse kitchen staples. You may have a large wooden hoop and no intention of using it to incorporate embroidery art into your home. Make an herb drying rack part of your food prep space with your underused embroidery hoop. These homey contraptions are pretty easy to find at thrift stores, but you can pick up brand-new ones for just a few dollars each. Scout out a spot in your kitchen that's best suited for drying your homegrown herbs. Avoid areas that produce lots of moisture, like the sink, dishwasher, or stovetop. Above a workspace is a safe and convenient spot.

Create a homemade herb hanger by tying part of an embroidery hoop into a horizontal rig with jute or cooking twine. Outfit the edges with a rim of wooden clothespins to hold bundles, and the results will be display-worthy and functional. Along with a hoop, clothespins, and twine, you'll also need rubber bands, scissors, and a ceiling hook. Rubber bands are a good choice to hold herb bunches, since they'll remain tight around the bundles as the herbs dry. If you want to make an additional drying space on the hoop for loose leaves or flowers, set aside a piece of cheesecloth or fabric repurposed from an old shirt or dress.

Cut two lengths of cord about 3 feet long or slightly longer; you can always trim off excess. Lay one or both parts of the embroidery hoop on top of one of the cords, and center it so that there are equal lengths on each side of the hoop. Tie the cord around opposite sides of the hoop so that there's a line of twine bisecting the hoop. 

Then, place the hoop and cord atop the other piece of twine so that it's centered and perpendicular to the twine tied to the hoop. Loop this piece of twine around the center of the already tied twine to make an X. Tie this piece around opposite points on the hoop so that you have four even-sized quarters between the twine. Cluster all four ends of the twine pieces into a knot, and hang it from a ceiling hook. Hang rubber band-bound herb bouquets from the hoop and twine X with clothespins.

To make the version with an extra drying surface, cut four pieces of twine about 2 feet long, and tie them around the rim of the adjustable hoop. Place a clean piece of cheesecloth or scrap of repurposed clothing over the smaller hoop, and leave enough slack so that the center dips down a bit. Tighten the outer hoop around the smaller one, and tie the ends of the four pieces of twine. Trim off excess fabric. Hang it, and spread leaves and petals over the fabric surface to dry.