Filling your basket with fresh picked herbs is one of those garden routines. It is by far one of the more glamorous parts of gardening (much better than mixing compost or weeding, right!?!) so don’t skip this joyful garden practice.
Whether you are growing herbs for cooking, herbal tea or the medicine chest there are a few tips to harvesting and preserving that I’ve learned along the way…
Favorite Homestead Herbs
Here are a few of my favorite (which also happen to be the easiest) herbs to grow. Watch a recent video of me harvesting herbs growing in my garden HERE on my @forksinthedirt Instagram.
Perennial Herbs
Bergamot– AKA Monarda + Bee Balm, this is a native bloomer for my area. Part of the mint family it can be aggressive to plant accordingly
Chives– The earliest herb to join the party each season, make sure to give a mid-season buzz cut for another round of happy harvesting into fall.
Lemon Balm– A pretty, partial shade loving mounded plant dotted with white flowers in summer.
Mint– All varieties give something unique; my favorite are straight spearmint and apple mint. Very aggressive, but manageable.
Oregano– Major pollinator magnet and pretty enough to be planted as a perennial flower.
Raspberry Leaf– Yes, the leaves of raspberries make amazing tea- snip the smaller leaves at the tip of the plants, earlier in the season tends to taste better to me.
Thyme– great ground cover and companion plant for cabbages and attracts all the flowers attract all the beneficial insects!
‘Tender Perennial’ Herbs
These herbs will need to be started from seed or the potted plants brought inside each year in our zone 4, but as with rosemary and my scented geraniums, these are some of my favorite plants- and my answer to having house plants in the winter.
- Bay Laurel
- Lavender
- Parsley
- Rosemary
- Sage
Annual Herbs
These herbs do best started from seed each season, or multiple times a summer. Follow my Seed Starting Guide for great results.
- Basil
- Cilantro
- Dill
I have to add in my garlic growing guide as well- because you can never grow enough garlic!
I have to mention Calendula here as well- as this was one of the first floral herbs I grew and used, and still make a few batches of infused calendula oil and salve every season. Find detailed instructions on how to make Calendula salve HERE.
These are all easy to grow plants that aren’t picky about the exact soil and sun situations… they each do well with frequent cuttings. In fact, cutting them back will help produce more vigorous plants- which will mean more of a crop for you to harvest over the season! So, make it a habit to get snipping every week or so. Herbs really do play nice!
Harvesting:
The optimal harvest timing is mid-morning, after the dew has dried but before the heat of the day wilts the leaves. That being said, if it’s a cloudy day, I have harvested in the afternoon and still been happy with my results. Also, if you ever want to grab some herbs for a recipe/immediate use, don’t let the time of day stop you- enjoy your garden!!
Harvesting Tips
Harvest timing depend on what you’re going for…
but don’t let this optimal timing stop you from snipping away!
Leaves: Before plant blooms
Flowers: Earliest stage of blooming
Seeds: Fully Mature and dry on the plant
Herbs will have a more condensed/intense flavor if not harvested after a big rain event or watering.
Always choose the healthiest leaves/flowers from healthiest plants- or remove those from the harvest later.
A favorite way to use fresh herbs is by infusing them right into water. You can even skip the boiling water this way. This creates a gentler but potent drink. I make a big batch and keep it in the fridge. It helps me drink more water during those summer heatwaves.
Processing Tips
Once you’ve harvested your herbs there are a few ways to preserve their flavors. Air drying or dehydrating are the most common, followed by freezing and infusing into vinegars.
- Don’t dry in direct sunlight
- Hang Dry most herbs except basil, celery leaf and sage. Use your judgement on what to air dry based on your home’s environment and how thick and moisture filled the leaves are that you’re drying.
- Snip large leaved herbs like mint, basil, and sage at the base and lay out on a flat screen to dry.
- Small leaved herbs like tarragon, rosemary and thyme take well to air drying in bundles.
Stripping those leaves…
It is generally easier to strip off leaves from the stem after dry (another reason hang drying on the stem is effective).
So, as you’re processing your herbs for long term storage you’ll realize this is not a fast process… hence why herbs get top dollar at markets!
Even though this is a time intensive endeavor; the flavors, variety, and sense of accomplishment when you see your dried herbs all lined up is worth it!
If you’re using herbs for teas, you can leave on more stem than if using for cooking because you keep the herbs in a strainer during steeping.
One of my biggest time savers!
For example; I have separate ‘Tea Thyme’ and ‘Culinary Thyme’ storage jars. In my opinion, oregano and thyme are the two most time consuming herbs to process- but they’re also some of my favorites…
Dehydrating Herbs in a Dehydrator
I use my dehydrator mainly for when I have a LOT of herbs to dry at once, if they were damper than I realized when I brought them in, and or if our home has higher than normal humidity. I almost always use the dehydrator for basil and celery leaf
I always use the lowest setting possible. So when given a range of between 95F-115°F I’ll set me dehydrator at 95°F. Most dehydrators will have a listing of best temps for herbs, research which temperature is best for your harvest. If drying more than one in the dehydrator at the same time, set it at the lowest temp, and know that some flavors may cross over if sharing the dehydrator.
If space allows, I use only every other tray slot in the dehydrator
Leave the Leaves whole unless using as a tea blend, keeping the leaves whole retains more flavor for longer.
Store in a dark spot in an airtight container (glass jars with tight fitting lids work great)
Freezing Herbs
You can freeze pretty much any herb, as the process tends to hold onto the flavors really well. You don’t need to blanche herbs before freezing either. You can either rinse in cool water and pat dry, or if you know they are clean you can just place onto a sheet pan in a single layer and flash freeze. Then seal in a freezer bag. This way let’s you grab just what you need.
If you want to freeze herbs in ice cube trays with either water or oil (if you know you’ll be making spaghetti sauces with the frozen basil for example) you end up with pre-portioned amounts, a nice time saver.
I love freezing small jars of basil pesto, there are many recipes out there- just make sure you wait to add the cheese until you’re ready to defrost and use it.
Use frozen herbs within one year.
Herb Infused Vinegar
I have a new appreciation for well done herbal vinegars! You need to sterilize your jars and heat the vinegar properly, but the results can be the perfect way to brighten meals through the cold winters- as they keep for 6 months in the refrigerator.
The Herbal Academy has a simple ‘How To’ HERE
Using all those Herbs
Now that you’ve preserved your herbs how do you make sure to use them all?
My Favorites for Tea:
- Anise Hyssop
- Apple Mint
- Lemon Balm
- Lemon Grass
- Monarda
- Scented Geranium
- Thyme
And… Let me introduce you to a favorite friend and Herbal Tea Goddess- Jenny of @thehappyherban
She grows a gorgeous garden full of veggies + herbs + flowers in California!
Jenny has a highlight about tea herbs + hashtag to follow at #growteawithme – just so much inspiration in those cups!
Dried Culinary Herbs:
As you can see – I like them ALL!!!
Basil (Genovese and Purple), Celery Leaf, Chive blossoms, Dill, Fennel Seed, Garlic powder, Leeks (ground), Lemon Grass, Marjoram, Oregano, Parsley, Rosemary, Sage, Stevia, Tarragon, Thyme. So many flavors!
You can spice up your own salad dressings. Grind and make seasoning salt blends and use to spice up popcorn, potatoes, eggs- you name it. You’ll be amazed at how you can start using less salt as you add more herbs!
DIY Poultry Blend
- 1 Tbsp Leek (or onion) powder
- 1 tsp Marjoram
- 1 Tbsp Parsley
- 2 tsp Rosemary
- 1 Tbsp Sage
- 2 tsp Thyme
- 1 tsp Celery powder
- Salt + Pepper to taste
*Sometimes I’ll add in lemon zest, or a little nutmeg if roasting.
Using any of these while roasting a chicken is great- adding them while cooking down bone broth or chicken stock adds layers of flavor too!
Hope this inspires you make the most out of the herbs growing in your garden.
As always, any questions, ask away
Get out there are start snipping!
Dig In,
Michelle
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