The last days of summer are upon us. Hopefully, you've been enjoying the delightful bouquet and flavor of fresh herbs on your table throughout the summer months. But if your growing season is quickly waning, it's time to think about preserving your herbal harvest for use during the winter. In more temperate climates, you're fortunate to be able to plant successive crops, but you'll still want to preserve a good portion of your herbs for later use.
The concentration of oils found in herbs are highest just before flowering and will provide peak flavor at this time. However, I often allow a good portion, and sometimes the entire plant, to flower before getting around to harvesting. In fact, I often use the flowers in dried mixtures, or add them fresh to soups and salads. Some herbalists also insist that herbs are best harvested while still moist with morning dew, but this is up to your discretion. I doubt it actually makes an important difference, other than the fact that the gatherer will be avoiding the hot afternoon sun.
When harvesting, you may cut down up to half of the plant by making clean cuts with scissors or shears. A sharp knife will work of course, but could "bruise" the plant and disturb the essential oils compromising flavor and quality. Once cut, rinse the herbs in cold water and remove any dead or wilting foliage. Check carefully under leaves for evidence of insects, particularly spiders. It's easy to spot critters on most plants, but others (such as sage and sorrel) tend to have large curling or folding leaves that can easily harbor an unseen tenant.
The easiest drying method is to tie the herb stalks in small bundles (about 6-7 stems) and hang them upside down. (I greatly look forward to the enticing aroma that fills my kitchen each fall when the basil, oregano and mints are brought in. I leave some of the bundles hanging from hooks all year long!) It's important that the drying herb stalks get plenty of air circulation and are free from extreme temperatures or direct sunlight.
If you're not an experienced gardener, it would be advisable to label each herb stalk before hanging to dry. During the drying process, the plants will lose their distinctive characteristics and it may prove difficult (if not impossible) to identify one herb from another. A simple twist-on-tie with a scrap of paper labeled with the species and date of cutting will suffice.
