Lesson 4: What Now?
Ways to harvest and preserve your herbs. Drying and storing. Making tea.
Harvesting your herbs
If you have done your research you are aware, by this time, that not all herbs are harvested in the same way or at the same time.
A rule of thumb – if your herb is perennial you should always leave enough foliage to support the plant into the winter season. Harvesting of a perennial should end forty to sixty days before the first frost. Annuals can be harvested until frost.
The ideal time of day to begin your harvest is early morning just after the dew dries off the leaves. The reason for this is herbs concentrate their essential oils in the night and release them when the sun warms the plant in the morning.
It is always best to harvest the herbs, like mints where you will use the leaves, before they flower in the spring. Never take individual leaves, instead cut a stem and remove the foliage or leave it until it can be dried.
In cases where your harvest will consist of flower heads, like lavender or chamomile, you want to pick them just before the flowers open. If you are extracting seeds cut the heads before they begin to shatter.
The main tools you will need for harvesting is a sharp knife, pruning clippers and scissors. Take care to never rip or tear your herbs and never cut them down too far. They need a certain amount of growth to remain healthy.
If you are harvesting seed, such as dill, you need to start testing them ahead of harvest. If a few of the seeds start to come off in your hand when you brush the plant then they are about ready to harvest.
One method that works well on tiny seeds is to put a small brown paper bag over the plant and tie it at the bottom. When you want to finish collecting the seed you cut the stem and turn it upside down. The seeds will fall off into the bag.
When harvesting roots be sure and take your shovel straight down, not at a sideways angle. You might cut the root. If the ground is loose enough try pulling the herbs up by hand. Wash off any dirt with cold water. Hot water can leach a root.
If you are going to harvest a lot of herbs in one day be sure and keep the ones you’ve cut or dug out of the blazing sunlight. Herbs will deteriorate at a rapid pace when left to lie on the ground. It is really better, unless you are a commercial grower, to plan to harvest only a few things each day.
