Tips and advice for harvesting and drying herbs
For all above-ground plant parts, it is best to wait to harvest until 10 a.m. or after the dew has evaporated and before the intense heat of the day has wilted the plants. Harvesting after a series of sunlit days is ideal as it makes drying the harvested plant parts much easier.
How to parched herbs after harvesting
Drying herbs is an art and a wonderful skill to learn. Start plain and petite. The classic method is to hang herbs in bunches. It is crucial to ensure good air flow; On damp days, set up a fan to keep the air flowing. One method I have used is to throw a sheet on the floor in the other room and place herbs on it. Once a day I shake the sheet to turn over the stems, flowers or leaves.
Plants that contain a lot of water, such as comfrey, are the most complex to parched. If you see black spots on the leaves or the characteristic fuzzy growth, these are signs of mold. Just break off these parts of the leaves, the rest can still be used.
Where to parched herbs
A heated attic is perfect for drying herbs. However, remember that too high a temperature causes the material to become brittle, which accelerates the destruction of the ingredients. Drying herbs in a food dehydrator works well, as does in an oven (the very low temperature provided by the pilot delicate works well for drying herbs).
Moving herbs to storage
There is nothing sadder than losing your harvest due to herbs being moved to storage too early. You want the leaves to fall apart when you rub them between your fingers, but you don’t want them to be too crunchy.
A proven way to check whether herbs are suitable for storage is to place a petite amount of dried herbs in a jar and close the lid tightly. If there is still moisture in the herb, condensation will form on the walls of the jar in a day or two. If this happens, continue drying and test again.
Those lucky enough to have a greenhouse can try this very quick drying method described by experienced herb growers Andrea and Matthias Reisen of Healing Spirits Herb Farm in upstate Recent York: “High shelves that we operate to store herbs that contain less water, Nettle, red raspberry, alfalfa, and then the lower shelves, which have more shade than the upper shelves, for comfrey, mint, lemon balm, as well as roses and marigold, so that they do not lose any of their colors.
We turn the herbs throughout the day so that the bottom also dries faster. By drying this way, we can usually transfer the herbs within twenty-four to thirty-six hours. Roots, of course, last longer. Since we are in Western Recent York, we do not operate shade curtains as we do in areas where the sun is hotter.1″
Notes
- E-mail communication with the author, May 18, 2021