Drying problem...humidity of 75-80% , no dehumifier..use fridge?

I'm trying to dry/cure my harvest, but with the damp weather it is problematic... Everywhere in the house has high humidity (75-80%)..and not possible to buy a dehumidifier yet.. so I've started thinking about using the fridge.... http://www.herbcompanion.com/Cooking/Dry-Your-Herbs-in-the-Fridge.aspx Any comments/advice please...

not sure about the fridge..is it possible to increase airflow and ventilation with a few fans (that will help lower the humidity), obviously u dont want the fans blowing directly on the buds but this may help reduce your humidity a bit

Thanks diamonddave..I've already got fans going, but they're not much help...worried about mould, and I'm praying for better weather... However, I've got a frost free fridge, and I've noticed how food in there, unless they are in plastic bags or sealed containers, will dry out...and check the link I gave.. Particularily with mushrooms.. I've noticed how it also improves flavour...but I digress. I'm interested to know if anyone else has tried this..

Throw a thermometer / hydrometer in there are check if the numbers are good. Only problem is how do you plan getting air circulation in the fridge.

the only reason to have air circulating is to replace the air around the bud with new dryer air (to stop condensation and the subsequent mould)...but it is quite easy, the bulb for the light in the fridge is 12v so I just rig up a socket with a broken bulb and solder the terminals and use a 12v computer fan.. The temp always rests above freezing and I've got my hydrometer in there right now taking a reading.. But I need to check if it's AC or DC bulb...but the easier solution is to simply put a fan in there and close the door on the wires....problem solved !!

I live right on the coast and deal with the same stuff. It's no big deal so long as you have constantly moving air, a clean drying area and keep the buds from touching each other. They'll take longer to dry than they would in a more arrid environment. You need to be extra vigilant when checking for mold as well.

malc01m said:

Hmmm, yes, but I need to get it dryer than the ambient humidity will allow...hope you understand..

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Get the environment more dry or the buds? What I'm telling you is that buds will dry just fine in that humidity you just need to stay on top of it.

Thanks HowzerMD.. This is true.... Slower drying > better taste and smell.... But I'm impatient and time is actually an important consideration for me at present ...... You replied a bit quick..... I thought about it and understood what you said, so I deleted my previous reply.

add a heater in the room, put the heater on a timer to come on for 5 mins every 20 mins and humidy should drop to around 55-65.

Turn on the Ac. It removes humidity from the air. Turning on a heater will not reduce humidity, it'll just feel tropical. Use an AC.

Serapis said:

Turn on the Ac. It removes humidity from the air. Turning on a heater will not reduce humidity, it'll just feel tropical. Use an AC.

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you sure? It worked for me. just had fans blowing 24/7 and the heater(small) on 5 mins every 20 and humidity was brought down from 85% to 55-60%.

If by AC you mean air conditioner, I don't have one....We are still in the middle ages where I live...Just looked at my hydrometer in the fridge..it's down to 59% but it is covered with condensation..This is probably due to the hydrometer coming from a warm place at 23C...I'll try a small computer fan in the fridge and see what happens

I've never tried the fridge, but I've thought about it. It can sure dry out the lettuce, etc., if they're left unwrapped. I chopped yesterday so I'll bring up a few and put them in on a rack, see what happens.

Don't dry your buds in the fridge. I'm not sure why everyone is making this so complicated. Crop out and hang your plants AS USUAL. Make sure you've got plenty of fresh moving air. Nuff said.

Don't worry HowzerMD, I haven't yet put my precious bud in the fridge ..it was just a thought (and a bit of an experiment to see if it was possible).. Anyway, even with a computer fan blowing directly onto my hydrometer, all night, the condensation won't go..which is long enough for mould to appear..so I'm not going to try it...I'm going to continue the old fashioned way....Thanks for everyone's comments....

malc01m said:

Don't worry HowzerMD, I haven't yet put my precious bud in the fridge ..it was just a thought (and a bit of an experiment to see if it was possible).. Anyway, even with a computer fan blowing directly onto my hydrometer, all night, the condensation won't go..which is long enough for mould to appear..so I'm not going to try it...I'm going to continue the old fashioned way....Thanks for everyone's comments....

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If there's condensation that's a sure sign it isn't the place for buds to be drying. If that PC fan was on it wasn't doing anything but blowing the same air that was already full of moisture. If it was fresh exchanged air blowing (which you will be providing by hanging them normally) there probably wouldn't have been that condensation while the fan was on. But I don't really reccomend leaving your fridge door open like that