Prepare Dry Material Instantly

If you need some dry material instantly you can use your microwave oven for making what you need. To dry herbs or flowers in the microwave oven instantly you will need SILICA GEL. Silica gel is a substance used to dry delicate flowers too, such as roses or calendula, as it preserves their forms and colors well. Silica gel can usually be found in craft stores. It is very simple to dry flowers with a silica crystals, just use microwave safe container with a 1" (2,5 cm) thick layer of the silica crystals and place your flowers on the top allowing about 1-inch of space around the sides and between each flowers. Put another 1-inch layer on the top of flowers and then microwave on cca 50 % power for approximately 2-3 minutes, depending on the type of your microwave and flowers. It is better to check the material progress an add some more times if needed. Flowers and leaves often have different drying times, microwave them separately for better result.

TIPS:

Never use silica gel containers for preparing food after you use them for drying flowers, because they often absorbs pesticides from plants as they dry.

Any suitable container or basket make beautiful display for dried flowers and will produce an attractive natural looking arrangement. Containers can be decorated with wallpaper or painted before starting.

Electric dehydrators are especially handy for drying slices of fruits such as oranges, lemons and apples.