Here are directions for drying fresh herbs in the microwave which I got from http://www.organicgardening.com website and added my comments:

Rinse the herbs and dry with paper towels or a lettuce spinner. Larger leaf herbs like basil I usually pinch the leaves off the stems before rinsing and drying. Smaller leaf herbs such as thyme, oregano, rosemary I cut stems about 4 inches before rinsing and drying.

Place a single layer of leaves or stems on a paper towel on a microwave-safe plate. Lay another paper towel on top, and microwave on high for one minute. Watch the herbs continually during the drying process, and stop the oven if you smell the herbs burning. If needed, repeat the heating for 30 seconds at a time until the herbs are fully dry. (from Beautiful Easy Herbs (Rodale, 1997), author Laurence Sombke) I found the drying process varied with the type of herb and how moist the herbs were and I was careful to check each time I added 30 seconds. When they feel crispy I take them out of microwave.

Once dried you can place the leaves or stems in sealed plastic bags and they will keep in the refrigerator. (Another website says they will keep for a year.) For rosemary and thyme I hold the stem from the end so that I run my thumb and index fingers along the stem with the herb against the grain and the herbs come right off the stem. I then grind them in a small grinder and place the grounded herb in a snack size sealed plastic bag or a plain glass spice jar with lid (can get them at Bed Bath & Beyond). My rosemary kept on my spice shelf in a jar for over a year. I used a permanent marker to write the herb name on the plastic bags.

I dry only one herb type at a time because some of them have a strong scent while drying and my grinder also needs a thorough cleaning before starting the next type of herb.

The process actually moves along smoothly after getting the routine. Enjoy the garden herbs for an additional year!