Lovage is basically a French celery. It’s four times as flavorful as the traditional celery I’m used to in an American grocery store. So, you don’t need a lot of it.
I cut the leaves off so I only have the stalks left. I feel like Morticia Addams when I do this.
Oh, and remember to wash the stalks. You don’t want bugs in your dehydrator.
After you’ve prepped the stalks, cut them into 1/4” pieces and place on parchment paper on top of the racks so the lovage doesn’t fall through.
I did a ton of research and talking to family and friends to figure out the right dehydrator for me. You do not need the very top of the line. However, I recommend not skimping and getting the cheapest dehydrator you can. That is also not a good decision. Especially the cheap circular dehydrators. They are a waste of space. Go square so that you use countertop space wisely and also can fit more herbs per square inch/centimeter.
I use the Cosori dehydrator. It has enough racks that you can dry a lot at once. And because it is square, you don’t have to cut your parchment paper to a perfect donut shape when you are drying smaller herbs that fall through mesh.
Although the directions in the booklet say 95 degrees for something like 12 hours, I dry my herbs at 110 for 24 hours or more. Usually basil takes the very longest to dry. It takes two full days. You don’t want to increase the temperature any more than that or you are then baking your herbs. You just want the dehydrator to be as hot as Arizona gets. 😉
After I’m done dehydrating the lovage, I keep it in a bottle. It’s great for sprinkling into soups.
Savillum 