You’ve picked and dried your herbal harvest now it’s time to store everything properly to make it last.

Realistically you can’t beat the classic glass jar for storing dried herbs.  It seals well, protects from damp and dust, insects stay out and you can see if anything has gone awry with the contents.  Keeping an eye on your herbs is especially important in the first couple of weeks after drying in case there is residual moisture which leads to mould.

Choosing the right jar is not rocket science.  It has to be whole, clean and dry.  Dont make it too large or too small.  Collect all manner of sizes throughout the year so you’ll have a wide choice when you need it.  Make sure there are no remaining odours from whatever occupied the jar last as this will affect your herbs. Label your jars with common name (maybe even botanical name) and date.  Store jars in a cool and dark spot.

Of course putting herbs in a jar is not the only way to store your herbs.

You can preserve your herbs in oil too.  I prefer not to use fresh herbs in oil as the moisture content promotes rancidity and then there is the whole botulism issue.  I am not sure that there has been a reported case of botulism from infused oils, but the common rule is to use plant material that is completely dried, completely submerged in the oil and which is completely removed before storing for any length of time. If you are planning on using the oil up within a week of making then you can leave the herbs in – they do look rather pretty.

If you are concerned about the loss of colour and flavour through drying, you could always use freezing as your method of preservation. Frozen herbs are useful for cooking and for use in making beauty products.

To freeze herbs

If your herbs need cleaning, wash them quickly and dry on kitchen paper. If they are organic and grown free of pollution they wont need washing. Strip leaves and petals from the stems. Lay herbs in single layers and pack them flat in a container or zip-lock bag. Make sure you remove as much air from the bag as possible. Mark your chosen container with the name and date.  When you need to remove herbs from the freezer work quickly. You’ll want to chop a piece off your herb sheet before it defrosts and goes soggy.  I also like to freeze mine in ice cube trays. This allows me little portion sizes to add to my favourite recipes without defrosting too much. You can chop them and freeze straight away or you can blend with a little water and freeze the resulting pulp. Use herbs frozen, dont defrost them first.

Here are some examples of herbs that freeze well

Storing your herbal bounty well means that you are able to access the wonderful flavours and health giving properties of herbs all year round.

Stay herbal
AnkeB

To dry your herbs you need to create the the right environment. Perfect conditions for drying include a consistently high temperature and low humidity. Sun drying is an age old practice but for herbs it can be detrimental, causing colour loss and losing all important volatile oils as well.You’ll want to dry your plant material as quickly as possible before the natural process of decay sets in, but not use excessive heat to speed up the process.

Ovens have been used but the heat tends to be too fierce and there is some anecdotal evidence that microwaves work but, personally, I believe the drying to be uneven. The use of a glass of water to maintain proper microwave conditions also defeats the purpose of keeping humidity low. A dehydrator that circulates the air and has a temperature control works very well.

Ideally you’d have a space that is dry, well aired and where the temperature is consistently between 20 – 32C/ 68 – 90F. Avoid dust and direct sunlight, this will keep your plant material clean and preserve colour.

If your plants are particularly dusty or dirty, or you used chemicals (which I know most of you dont) do wash them.  Fill a tub with cold water and dunk your plant material several times to remove any impurities. Lay out on a draining board and pat dry gently between tea towels.

Drying leaves

If the leaf is very small you may wish to dry some herbs on the stem, where as larger leaves you may wish to dry individually. Spread your leaves out on trays, frames stretched with netting or hang tied in small bunches. Leave enough for air to circulate freely.  Drying time varies depending on thickness, moisture content and humidity in the air. The rule of thumb is to dry leaves until they are crisp and crackly to the touch.  This process can take anywhere between 3 days to a week.

Drying flowers

If the blooms are quite large, remove the petals to dry. Calendula/Marigold flowers can be dried whole and the petals removed afterwards. Lavender flowers are kept on a long stem and hung tied in bunches to dry.

Like leaves, flowers can be dried on trays or netting  but if you need the buds to stay in particularly good shape for decorative purposes then you might wish to dry them upright with stems pushed thru wire trays.  Leave until flowers are papery and dry.

Drying seeds

Pick seed heads with stems attached and make sure they’re free from insect life. Tie stems into bunches then invert then into a paper bag  (do not use plastic, it attracts moisture) and tie the bag around the seed heads.  Hang up and leave to dry in a warm, airy place. Once completely dry clean off any pods or husks

Drying roots & bark

Scrub roots and bark thoroughly then chop into small pieces ready for drying.  These tougher plant materials require higher drying temperatures and can be dried in the sun.  Here the oven can be used quite successfully at a very low temperature and the door left slightly open.

Dried outside on trays or netting it is advised to cover with muslin or the like to keep dust and debris away.  The roots/bark is dried when it they snap easily.
Overall drying your own is easy. Just remember to keep it warm, dry, clean and dont let the plants touch while drying.

Happy harvesting
AnkeB

Hello Herb Lovers,

Guess what? The parcels have arrived!! You know what that means, right? Lots of herbal goodies for me to share with you.

Of course they have arrived while I am mid nervous breakdown. Tomorrow is my 40th (good grief has time really gone that fast?) then there will be a 40th birthday bash on saturday and as most of you will already have noticed the “quick and easy” upgrade of my CMS has shut the site down and I am working as hard as I can to get it all back and running. I may even go back up tonight, as long as you guys dont mind a screwy login that doesnt let you logout (then throws you out after 120minutes) it also doesnt talk to the forum login, and there are some questionable colours happening up top. We’ll see how much I can get done.

As much as the upgrade was meant to be “quick and easy” it obviously wasnt. So I thought I would give you something that is quick, easy, and works on so many levels it’s one of my absolute essentials…have it with me wherever I go. I am not the hugest fan of using essential oils because the sheer quantity of plant material necessary to obtain such a small amount of oil. I do believe that there are other ways of using the same plants with similar results. – albeit they may take a bit more work.

But, having said that, I do use some essential oils. The three permanents in my cupboard are Tea Tree, Lavender & Chamomile.

I am now going to show you the easiest remedy you have ever seen. All you need is some carrier oil – in this case I use an organic olive oil, tea tree & lavender essential oils. That’s it.

In this instance I used a roll on perfume bottle (sterilised), filed it most of the way with the organic olive oil, then added 5 drops of Tea Tree and 5 drops of Lavender Essential Oils. Now, that is quite a lot for such a small quantity of carrier oil, but Tea Tree and Lavender are two of the few essential oils that can be put directly onto the skin, so unless you are allergic to the two, you wont have a problem.

Shake it.
Pop the roll on top back on and Robert is your proverbial relative.

How easy was that?

As I said, this particular remedy I carry everywhere. Due to the antiseptic and antibacterial nature of these oils it is great for nicks and cuts, insect bites – it reduces the itching and swelling. Sunburn, mild burns in general, headaches, herpes sores, the list is practically endless. It is so versatile! and takes less than 2 minutes to make I like using the roll on because it sits happily in my handbag until needed and is a lot less messy than a bottle of oil to carry about. Or you could heat it a little and melt a tiny amount of beeswax into it, pour into a small lip balm size jar, pop in the fridge and when set you have a salve version which is also less messy.

!!! Oh, dont use too much Lavender when pregnant, it is said to be a uterine stimulant.!!!

I hope that wet your appetite for more herbal info I have to impart, but for now that will have to last you until after the weekend – afterall a girl only turns 40 once well, maybe I’ll do it a few years in a row.

Stay Herbal!