Harvesting Herbs

God's Warrior · Harvesting Herbs

Harvesting Herbs

To determine the best harvest time for each herb, you need some experience. A few general rules can lead you in the right direction for most herbs

LEAVES
Harvest the leaves when they contain the optimum amount of essential oils. These oils give herbs their special flavor or scent. Ideally you should cut herbs soon after the dew has evaporated form the leaves in the morning. Harvest on a dry day that has been preceded by at least two sunny days.
In most cases, cut stems for harvest when the flower buds are just beginning to open. Mints, however, have the most oil in the leaves when the spikes are in full bloom.
When gathering a large quantity of herbs, use an open weave basket or container that allows good air movement. Don't stuff herbs into plastic bags, which can heat up and cause rapid deterioration of herbs. Never cut more stems than can conveniently dry at one time. You can cut back perennial herbs to about half its height and can cut down an annual to a few inches. You can also remove an annual completely near the end of the season.

Wash the plants in cool water immediately after gathering, and spread them on towels. Pat them gently with a towel until dry. A dark, well-ventilated room where temperatures run between 70 and 90 degrees F is an excellent room for drying. Air conditioning is helpful because it reduces humidity in the air. You can use frames covered with cheesecloth laid on top for drying. Prepare the frames or screens before you cut the plants.
For some herbs, you strip the leaves from the stems before drying. Herbs in this group include basil, dill, lemon balm, lovage, mint, sage, lemon verbena and tarragon. Spread these leaves in single layers for quickest drying.
You can dry herbs with smaller leaves leaving the leaves on the stems. These include thyme, oregano and marjoram. Strip the leaves after drying is complete.
Herb leaves should dry in three to four days under proper conditions. In humid weather, you might need to spread the herbs on a cookie sheet and dry them in an oven at about 125 degrees F for a few minutes before placing them in an airtight container.

Some herbs do not dry well. Instead you can freeze such herbs. Handle them as you would for drying. Then after washing, blanch them in boiling unsalted water for 50 seconds, cool quickly in ice water and blot dry. Then spread them in a single layer on paper or cookie sheets and place them in the freezer.
You can freeze dill, chives and basil without blanching. After the herbs are frozen, place them into airtight plastic containers or bags.

ROOTS Angelica and lovage produce usable roots. Dig these roots in the late autumn or early spring. Wash them thoroughly after digging. Then slice or split the large roots. Place the pieces in thin layers on screens and turn the slices several times a week. After they are partially dry, finish them in an oven at low heat before placing them in an airtight container for storage. It may take roots six to eight weeks to completely dry. When dry, the root piece should snap when you bend it.

SEEDS You can grow and process seeds of dill, caraway, fennel and anise at home. When the plants begin to mature and yellow, cut the heads of the plants containing the seeds, leaving a short stem. Place them on a drying tray for five or six days. Then the seeds should fall easily from the heads. Remove the chaff and allow the seeds to continue to dry for another week. Stir them frequently. Store seeds in airtight jars after complete drying.

God's Warrior

Harvesting Herbs for the Home Gardener

More information from a second source.....
North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service
http://www.ces.ncsu.edu

Herbs should be harvested when the oils responsible for flavor and aroma are at their peak. Proper timing depends on the plant part you are harvesting and the intended use. Herbs grown for their foliage should be harvested before they flower. While chives are quite attractive in bloom, flowering can cause the foliage to develop an off-flavor. Harvest herbs grown for seeds as the seed pods change in color from green to brown to gray but before they shatter (open). Collect herb flowers, such as borage and chamomile, just before full flower. Harvest herb roots, such as bloodroot, chicory, ginseng, and goldenseal, in the fall after the foliage fades. Some general guidelines to use include:

* Begin harvesting the herb when the plant has enough foliage to maintain growth. Up to 75% of the current season's growth can be harvested at one time.
* Harvest early in the morning, after the dew dries, but before the heat of the day.
* Harvest herbs before flowering, otherwise, leaf production declines.
* Herb flowers have their most intense oil concentration and flavor when harvested after flower buds appear but before they open.
* Herb flowers harvested to dry for craft purposes should be picked just before they are fully open.
* Annual herbs can be harvested until frost.
* Perennial herbs can be clipped until late August. Stop harvesting about one month before the frost date. Late pruning could encourage tender growth that cannot harden-off before winter.
* Harvest tarragon or lavender flowers in early summer and then shear the plants to half their height to encourage a second flowering period in the fall.

Preserving Herbs

Herbs acquire their fragrance and flavor from oils that evaporate into the air when the leaves are crushed. Ideally, you should use fresh herbs for cooking, but it is possible to retain some quality for later use. There are several methods to preserve herbs.

Freezing is one of the easiest methods to preserve herbs. Rinse the herbs quickly in cold water, shake off the excess, then chop coarsely. Place generous pinches of herbs in water-filled ice cube trays and freeze. Transfer herb-cubes to plastic bags or air tight plastic containers. Another method for freezing is to spread the herbs loosely onto a cookie sheet to freeze, then transfer the herbs into a large plastic bag and seal. When they thaw, herbs will not be suitable for garnish, but can be used in cooking. Do not re-freeze herbs after thawing.

Drying is the traditional method of herb preservation. If the herbs are clean, do not wet them. Otherwise, rinse dust and dirt from the foliage, shake off the excess water, and spread the herbs out to dry on paper towels or dishcloths until all surface moisture has evaporated. Remove any dead or damaged foliage. Then, tie the stems into small bundles with twine or string and hang them upside down in a warm, dry, airy place out of the sun. Be sure to make small, loose bundles and allow for good air circulation around each bunch.

UV rays from the sun and moisture from dew and frost can discolor and severely reduce the quality of many herbs. Thus, it is best to dry herbs indoors in a large empty closet, attic, or unused corner of a room. Drying herbs look quite attractive drying in a kitchen or pantry. If none of these places are practical, herbs can be dried in a barn, shed, or (least desirable) under the cover of a porch. Sage, thyme, summer savory, dill, and parsley are easy to dry. Basil, tarragon, and mints may mold and discolor if not dried quickly.

An alternative to hanging herbs to dry in bunches is to spread the herbs out on window screens. Suspend the screens over sawhorses or the backs of chairs. Turn the leaves often to ensure even drying.

To air dry herbs with seeds, tie the herbs in small bundles and suspend inside a paper bag with holes punched in the sides. Suspend the bag in a dark area with good air circulation. Collect the seeds when they are dry, and store in rigid light-proof containers.

Microwave drying is a quick and easy method to dry small amounts of herbs. Lay a single layer of clean, dry leaves between dry paper towels and place them in the microwave for 1 to 2 minutes on high power. Drying will vary with the moisture content of the herb and the wattage of the microwave oven. Let the leaves cool. If they are not brittle, reheat for 30 seconds and retest. Repeat as needed. Thick leaved herbs may need to be air dried for several days before microwaving.

Conventional ovens can also be used to dry herbs. Spread the herbs on cookie sheets and dry at the lowest temperature setting possible. Home food dehydrators also do an excellent job of drying herbs. Follow the directions provided with the dehydrator.

Herbs are sufficiently dry when they are brittle and crumble easily. When the leaves are dry, separate them from their stems and package the leaves in rigid containers with tight fitting lids. Glass or hard plastic are best, although heavy-duty zip-lock plastic bags can be used. To preserve full flavor, avoid crushing the leaves until you are ready to use them. Store dried herbs in a cool, dry place away from sunlight, moisture, and heat. Many herbs can be keep for a year if stored properly.

God's Warrior

shazbot3
Very good advice here, Elena. I've used most of these methods, but my favorite is the air-dry method because it's the only one that seems to let the herbs retain their color as well as their flavor.

Elena
I used to dry my own fruit by putting the slices in the attic on cookie sheets for a few days. I have never tried drying herbs though. I put my mint directly into the plastic bags after I pick it and then freeze it. I spray it down really well early in the day to clean it and give it all day to dry before I cut and freeze it. I make mint tea with it all winter.

shazbot3
You cut it in the afternoons, Elena? Does it still have a good, strong mint flavor when you make your teas?

I have a food-dehydrator which I've used in the past; but I haven't used it in a long time-had almost completely forgotten about it til I was looking for yarn in the basement last night and came across it again.

If I get my herb bed going like I want to this fall, I'll probably be using the dehydrator quite a lot next year.

Elena
Now that I think about it, I don't have a clue when I pick it. I just always make sure it is clean and dry. Tee hee! I think that mint would be strong whenever you want to harvest it though. I had bunches of chocolate mint in different areas and lost all of it this past winter. I don't have a clue why. I never expected to ever lose it as my other mint has been around for years.

Carol7
Now that you mentioned mint... Has anyone divided it for new plants before? I bought a few varieties - I just couldn't resist since they were on sale for .65 each - and I would like to try to propagate them. From what I read it sounds fairly easy, but I was wondering if anyone can give me some additional tips since I only bought one of each type.

Elena
If it is in a fertile place and you don't let it get too dry, it will spread on its own. It sends out under ground runners that have lots of new shoots all along them. If you take care of mint, it can run you out of the garden. LOL! Seriously, lots of folks won't put it near anything else or they put it in pots. My chocolate mint was everywhere for about 6 years and then this spring it was no more. I don't know what in the world happened to it. Everyone got their chocolate mint from me and now I am chocolate mintless!

Carol7
A couple of my mints have sent out runners only they are not underground. Should I set the runner on top of some potting soil and see if they root? My book only tells how to divide the actual plants - it doesn't mention what to do with the runners.

Elena, one of the mints with runners is a chocolate one. If I can get some babies I'll send you one so you won't be chocolate mintless anymore. ;o)

Elena
Take the runners and cover all but the tips under a light layer of good soil.
Provide good loose soil below them so they can send roots down into the soil. You can cut them in small sections that each contain roots when you get ready to start new ones. You will find that they will send up little shoots at the different nodules. Each little nodule will have it's own roots. If you want to let them grow there for awhile, just ease back the soil and snip the different little sections and let them grow more. If you are taking them into a greenhouse, you can do this in a lengthwise planter. Make sure they don't get bone dry though. Mint prefers some moisture as compared to getting very dry.

I will cross my fingers that your "chickens will hatch" and that you and I will both have chocolate mint in our futures. Being chocolate mintless is very painful. LOL

Carol7
Elena, thanks so much for the tips. Surprised

) I also have apple and ginger mints with runners too.

Elena
OHHHH! Good luck with them all. I hope they do well and you'll have a few little snippets next spring for your friend.