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Harvesting and drying herbs is practically a rite of passage for gardeners every late Summer and Fall. Don’t know about you but I have gotten pretty spoiled by the free and much better tasting herbs growing right outside my back door! I know where they came from…they were grown organically…weird fertilizer free…etc. etc.
Since the weather is cooling (and we actually get below freezing over here), I am on a mission to save as much of my herbs as possible for winter use. I am growing parsley, two types of basil, oregano, rosemary and sage. TBH, I am not sure why I keep the sage since I only ever see it used in meat recipes. However, I have read it is a favorite for caterpillars (parsley too) so it is my gift to them!
This morning, I gave my oregano a serious haircut, rinsed it and am now drying it. That poor herb did not fare very well in the North FL sun this summer. I had it inside my greenhouse but it started to get Powdery Mildew so moved it outside. The mildew cleared up but the heat may have been a little much for it.
My oregano
Anyhoo, as I was rinsing it I thought I should check Pinterest to see how others are harvesting and drying their herbs. SO many experts for me to learn from!!
My favorite pins and articles are below. In writing this, I worked very hard not to repeat myself thus each article has its own unique perspective or tip. I am sure they will help you as much as they helped me!
Four Methods For Drying Herbs
Frankly, it never occurred to me to dry them in a microwave. Interesting! She also gives a few paragraphs on how to prepare the herbs for drying. One tip she gives is to pick the herbs before they bolt (bloom). I never do seem to time that right!
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When And How To Harvest Specific Herbs
I like this article from Mini Garden North America because the author gives us advice for specifically harvesting most of the commonly used herbs-such as basil and oregano. She also gives us some pro tips such as her advice for harvesting basil – “Pinch off any flower spikes right away.” Or for parsley – “If you remove too many leaves from the wrong part of your plant, your herbs won’t collect enough sunlight to continue growing.” Good stuff!
DIY Herb and Flower Drying Screen
Do you have woodworking skills? If so, this should be your next project!
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More Details On Harvesting, Drying and Storing Herbs
She also teaches us how to gather and harvest based on the herb type. i.e. annuals vs perennials, etc. Then she gives some instruction on drying and storing. Both plants and seeds.
Another Method for Drying Herbs and How to Store Them
She also gives storage instructions. Something she teaches us that I have not read anywhere else is to keep the leaves whole until we are ready to use the herbs because crumbling them releases the oils. Hmmm. Why didn’t I think of that?!?
Conclusion
Between these five articles, you will have all the information you need to harvest, dry and store your herbs. Besides the fact that growing and harvesting our own herbs is just plain FUN, we also get the satisfaction of knowing where those plants came from and how they were treated. An extra reason to sleep a little more peacefully at night!
Other Food Preservation Articles
An Introduction To Canning Food For Beginners
Eating Healthy Year Round With Traditional Food Processing Preservation Methods
The Benefits Of Pickling Food From Your Garden
The Best Way To Store Fruits & Vegetables So They Will Last Longer
How To Decide What To Can, What To Freeze And What To Dehydrate
The Best Way To Preserve Fresh Fruit Is By Making Jelly and Jam
Dehydrating Food Tips – What You Need to Know
Can I Freeze Fresh Vegetables And Fruit? Yes You Can!
Where To Find Great Deals On Produce To Preserve
Five Common Methods of Processing & Preserving Food
5 Pinteresting People Teach Us How To Harvest and Dry Herbs
