Harvesting and Drying Herbs
For flavor and taste, there's nothing better than fresh herbs for use in
your kitchen. Herb growers quickly learn that the way they harvest and dry
herbs affects flavor. The biggest key to success is harvesting herbs in the
morning. It's the oils in the herbs, that gives it flavor. Those oils are
the strongest and freshest in your herb plants in the morning hours.
Here is how to properly harvest herbs, to capture their flavor at it's peak:
Harvesting Herbs:
Most herbs are ready to harvest as soon as there are enough leaves on the
plant, that picking a few will not impair the plant's survival.
Harvest herbs in the morning hours when the plant's oils are at their highest
concentration.
Pick them using a sharp knife, pruning scissors, or shears.
Immediately after harvesting, rinse them gently in cool water.
Allow to air dry, or pat them lightly with a paper towel.
Use them immediately. Or, store in the refrigerator for later use.
Drying Herbs:
There are two ways to dry herbs:
The first way, is to spread the herbs out on a drying rack.
The second is to tie them into a loose bundle, and hang them upside down
to dry.
It is essential to dry herbs in a cool, dry place where there is good
ventilation. This minimizes the likelihood of mold forming on the herbs while
they are drying. Watch for mold, and discard any affected plants.
Before storing dried herbs, it is important that they are completely dry.
It will take a few days. When in doubt, leave it out to dry another day or
two.
After herbs are completely dried, they can be cut up as desired and stored
for future use.
Many herbs can also be frozen for later use(culinary herbs). When freezing
herbs, drying them is not necessary.
More on Herbs:
Herb Seeds Looking for quality seeds? Stop here.
Many herbs can be grown indoors during the winter.
Herb Gardening
at Garden Hobbies
Organic Herbs start with Organic
Herb Seeds |
