Harvesting Herbs
Home-grown fresh herbs are far superior to dried herbs if they are harvested and handled
with care. Following a few simple rules will help you capture the optimal flavor from the herbs you grow.
When harvesting herbs, it is best to do it early in the morning as soon as the dew has
evaporated but before it gets hot and sunny. It is best if you can pick a dry day to do
your harvesting. You will want to choose healthy, vigorous growth with leaves that have not
been harmed by pests or disease.
Use sharp pruners, scissors or a knife handling the leaves as little as possible
to avoid bruising. Gather leaves from one type of herb at a time. When herbs dry, they
change appearance and it may be difficult to know what you have collected. You will also
want to spread them out as soon as possible. Bundling them together
generates heat that will make them wilt.
Arrange the leaves on a screen or basket leaving plenty of room between each leaf
and making sure air can reach all sides of the leaf. Air drying still remains the best method
of preserving herbs. However, speed is of the essence, because the faster an herb dries, the more
flavor and color it will retain and the less likely it is to become moldy or contaminated.
Conventional ovens, even set at their lowest temperatures, are too hot for drying
herbs. If your herbs are so wet they are in danger of becoming moldy, you may have to use
a conventional oven; but overall, you would not want to dry your herbs with this method. Higher
temperatures and sunlight dissipate an herb's essential oils. A dehydrator would be much
better.
Some important factors when drying herbs are:
1: good air circulation is a must
2: keep your temperature consistently between 80 degrees and 85 degrees Fahrenheit
3: low humidity will quicken drying, so you may need to use a dehumidifier
(do not dry herbs in your basement or in direct sunlight)
Timing is also important. To preserve large quantities of herbs, you will
want to know when to harvest them, which is determined mostly by which part of the plant
you are harvesting. The maximum flow of essential oils generally occurs in leaves
just before the plant flowers; however, if you are harvesting blossoms, wait until
the flower is newly opened;
that's when it will be richest in essential oils.
