Guide to Harvesting and Storing Herbs

Growing herbs for culinary, aroma therapeutic and medicinal purposes is becoming increasingly popular in the Philippines. Some of them are utilized as freshly harvested leaves while others are dried for future use.
Here are some useful pointers on harvesting, drying and storing these useful herbs. It is from the pamphlet of Aubin’s Village from Rockhampton, Australia. Herbs have to be harvested correctly, otherwise they will lose their value. Harvest the plants on a dry day. Don’t harvest them if the dew has not disappeared.

Pick the herbs and place them into a flat box or baskets to avoid crushing or bruising. Don’t gather more than what can be dealt with at a particular time because they do not retain their fragrance for long periods.

The experts suggest that if both roots and leaves are to be used, lift the plant when it is in bloom and wash off any soil.

They say that most herbs have reached maturity after the plant has flowered, and should be cut off at ground level with a sharp knife during gathering. If only the leaves are to be used, strip them off shortly before maturity to make sure that the essential oils have not been lost. Ascertain that the blooms are perfect, otherwise they will deteriorate while drying and spoil the product for which they will be eventually used.

To extract seed, cut off the whole flower head and tie the stems at the mouth of a paper bag. Hang the bag in a light, airy position and seeds will fall into the bag as the head dries.

DRYING. Herbs should be dried indoors, preferably in an area with good ventilation and a steady temperature of 30 degrees Centigrade. The leaves should be dried in the shade but the roots require sun.

Spread the herbs in a shallow lidless box or similar receptacle. Make sure that the plants lie flat and do not overlap. Some plants like sage’ or thyme can be hung upside down in small bunches.