You've worked hard nurturing your herb garden. Now it's time to enjoy the harvest and to provide yourself and family with provisions throughout the winter season. There are many techniques for processing and preserving herbs. The decision of what methods to use is an individual one, depending on your particular likes and dislikes, the storage facilities available to you, and the particular herb in question.
Choosing a Method
Drying vs. Freezing: Many herbs have a wonderful aroma and flavor when dried. Unfortunately, chervil, cilantro, and lemon balm lose much of their aroma when dried. Many fleshy-leafed herbs dried without a dehydrator may mildew and have to be thrown away. Freezing is sometimes the best way to preserve herbs because it conserves the delicate essential oils that are lost when herbs are heated, but this method usually wrecks the texture and could cause some to turn black. Here are some examples and the best method recommended:
Good for Drying: basil, dill, fennel, mint, oregano, parsley, hot peppers, rosemary, sage, savory, scented geraniums, tarragon, and thyme
Good for Freezing: basil, chervil, chives, cilantro, dill, lemon balm, parsley, hot peppers, sorrel, sweet cicely, and tarragon
Other Methods: For other preserving ideas, consider pastes and herb sugars, herb vinegars, herb salts, herb cheese and butters.
Harvesting From Garden
First, Gather
The gathering of herbs from your garden should be done in the morning but after the dew has dried, when the flavor and oils are most concentrated in the plants. Make cuts with sharp shears or pruners to avoid plant damage.
How Much to Cut?
Most woody herb plants can be cut down by one third to one half. Lemon balm and comfrey are examples of fast growing herbs which can almost be cut to the ground and will grow back quickly.
For parsley, harvest from the outside because it grows from the center out. For other leafy plants, pick the freshest and greenest leaves, and preferably from plants which have not flowered or gone to seed. For harvesting flowers, gather them in their prime, during full sunlight, after the dew dries. Rinse leaves and flowers lightly and pat dry. When harvesting roots, try to gather them when the soil is fairly dry. Inspect them for discoloration, disease and pests. Clean them well.
Remove Hitchhikers
Place some light colored or paper towels on your working surface, then unload the harvest on top of that. This way you will be able to detect and remove any unwanted spiders or beetles which may have stowed away in your harvest. I then gather them up in a plastic cup and take them back outside.
