In Late spring and early summer many herbs have doubled or even tripled. By this time they are starting to bloom and produce seed or new roots and shoots. This is the perfect time for harvesting and drying your herbs for long term storage and uses. So that bring us to the questions, how to harvest herbs, and what is the best way to store herbs for long term use?
While there are many different types of herbs, generally speaking most of them can be harvested and stored by the same methods.
Because the herbs are most flavorful or potent during the budding and blooming time frame, we want to harvest them at or right before the blooms open so that over time they have the highest potency, flavor and quality possible.
Wether you want to harvest thyme, oregano, basil, mint, lemon balm or basically any other herb, follow these steps for quality dried herbs with longevity.
Kept in a cool and dry place, dry herbs can last up to four years or indefinitely.
Through the years of garden I’ve found a passion in growing and using herbs from my own little backyard. Here are my top tips on harvesting and storing herbs.
Tools needed for harvesting herbs
A Sharp, clean pair of scissors or a clean pair of pruners or sheers
A basket or container to put the stems in as you harvest the plants.
How to harvest herbs
When do I harvest my herbs?
Once your Herb of choice has multiplied or doubled in size and is near to bloom, keep an eye on them for just before the buds open.
Does it matter what time of day when harvesting herbs?
Try to harvest in the early morning, before the heat of the day.
Harvesting in the morning will give you the freshest herbs and give the plant a little time to recover before the sun gets hot.
Pick stems and branches that have the least spots or damage.
if you do harvest a stem that has spots or damage from a pest just pick off the leaves that have the damage and proceed.
Once you have finished harvesting your Herb or herbs of choice bring them in to a cool place out of direct sunlight.
Plant care tip: When you have finished harvesting, it is good to give your plants a deep drink of water at the base of the plants. This will help the plants to stay perky and recover quickly from harvest.
Washing herbs
I like to rinse my herbs well to be sure there are no garden spiders, dirt or other degree on the leaves.
Option 1. you can “wash” them by placing the bundle of herbs in a large bowl and adding cold water to soak for a few minutes – up to ten minutes.
optionally you can add a small splash of vinegar in the bath.
swish them and rinse well.
Option 2: Simply put them in a strainer or salad spinner and run cold water over them, rinsing them thoroughly
After washing let drain for a few mintues in strainer or spin in the salad spinner
Gently pat any extra water droplets with a clean dry kitchen towel.
now you are ready for the next steps
before moving on to drying the herbs, I’m going to give a quick tip on storing them in the refrigerator for fresh uses.
Tip for storing herbs in the refrigerator
If you are planning to use them fresh they can be stored in the refrigerator in a zip bag or airtight container with a paper towel in the bottom to soak up excess moister. The herbs should last up to two weeks stored in this manner.
Drying herbs
Now that you have harvested your herbs, how do you preserve them and give them a long shelf life?
This is where drying your herbs comes in. While there are other wonderful ways to use and preserve herbs, drying them preserves them for a longer period of time than other methods.
When fall and winter are in full swing, most herbs aren’t herbs producing new leaves and some go completely dormant for the winter. So I love having plenty of dried herbs on hand for the long off season!
How to dry herbs for long term use
There are a few ways to dry herbs and prepare them for proper storage.
1 . you can bundle the stems and hang them in a cool and airy place out of direct sunlight.you may want to put a paper bag or thin towel such as a flour sac towel or cheese cloth over the bouquet to keep Dust and degree of of them. This may take up to two weeks depending on the type of herb.
2. you can also strip the leaves from the stems before drying, and lay the leaves in a single layer or a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper or a clean flour sac towel. Place a thin layer of cheesecloth on top to prevent dust and other debree from landing on them.
Which way you choose is entirely up to you.
In this next section I will go over the quickest way I’ve found to strip the leaves from the stems. Whether you hang fry first or not, use this method for a fast and easy way to remove the leaves from herb plants.
The easiest way of stripping is to hold the top tip with one hand and gently squeeze the stem with your pointer finger and thumb at the top of the plant. Run your other hand down the length of the plant while holding somewhat firm. You should strip most of the leaves off in one movement. Once you get the hang of it, it is fast and so satisfying!
Have a bowl or dry towel ready to lay out your harvested leaves.
once all your leaves and/or stems are harvested and sorted the way you want simply set the leaves on a tray with a paper towel or thin lint free cotton or linen towel in a clean dry place.
it may take up to two or three days for leaves to dry when separated from the stem.
once the leaves are dry (they should be crunchy ish. Place them on a pan and put them in the oven on the lowest setting for 5 to 10 minutes just to make sure they have no moisture that will ruin the herbs once stored in an airtight container
By this point they should be completely crispy or crunchy and should sound like a rustling if moved or swished around
Now that your herbs are dry, pick a clean and dry jar with a lid.
I like to use the glass herbs jars best. I like to Reuse the glass herbs jars that previously I’ve bought from the store, it works great.
these are similar to my favorites.
for large harvests pint and quart size canning jars will work great!
Transfer your dried herbs into the jar(s).
A funnel may help with this step however I normally hold one hand around the mouth of the jar (like a funnel ) and transfer the herbs with the other hand. It works great.
Close lid tightly to prevent any moisture from getting into the jar.
Store in a cool dry place.
Use your home grown herbs for any from scratch cooking, herbal tinctures, or tea.
Comment to let us know your favorite herbs and how you love to use it!
To read more articles related to this post, click the posts and categories below!
storing fruit and veggies to last
how to grow alfalfa sprouts at home
Tags: Drying herbs, herb garden, Homemade seasoning, Homesteading, how to dry herbs, How to harvest herbs, kitchen garden, practical kitchen garden, working garden
[…] if you enjoyed this article you will love these best tips for drying herbs […]