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It’s time to enjoy your home herb garden.
You have planted the herbs and watched them grow and flourish; now you can use your home grown herbs. Fresh herbs are fragrant, delicious and extremely useful in so many ways. Home grown herbs can be used for cooking, potpourri or medicinal purposes. But, using herbs from a home herb garden requires a little bit of preparation first.
Timing is important when you are ready to harvest your herbs for use. Many factors such as, wind and heat, can affect the essential oils of the herbs. Harvest your herbs on a calm day, preferably on a dry morning. On extremely we days, herbs produce fewer essential oils and it’s also a good idea to harvest the herbs just after the dew has dried from the leaves.
Harvesting your herbs for use does not mean you need remove the entire plant, just take as much as you need for use. Herbs can be used throughout their growing season and harvested for drying before winter. Freshly picked herbs can be used immediately or harvested and preserved for later use. Be careful not to pick more than a third of the plant’s leaves at one time. The plant will need a good amount of foliage to re-grow and stay healthy.
Before harvesting, inspect the plant for insects and damaged leaves before you harvest them. Pick healthy leaves and remove dried or damaged leaves from your herb plant. When herbs like marjoram, thyme and oregano start to bloom little flowers, you need to harvest some soon. Cut them back below the flowers to encourage re-growth.
Preserving herbs from your home herb garden…
There are three easy methods for preserving fresh herbs for later use:
Drying
Freezing
Preserving them in a medium like salt, sugar, oil or vinegar
The best method for drying herbs is to bundle six to twelve stems together and remove any leaves near the base of the stems. Secure the bundle with string and hang them in a cool, dry, dark place that is away from any sunlight. If you are drying small amounts or a few individual large leaves, you can place them on a screen or a rack to dry. Remember to turn them often in order for them to dry properly and keep them away from light.
You can dry herbs with kitchen appliances like dehydrators, ovens or microwaves, but it’s easy to burn and over dry your herbs with these methods and lose the precious oils which provide the flavor and aroma. A dehydrator is probably the safest of these methods for drying herbs when you are in a hurry.
Freezing herbs is a fairly simple way to preserve herbs, but not all herbs do well with freezing. Basil will turn black when frozen, yet a great way to freeze basil is to first make basil pesto and then freeze the pesto. Keep the pesto in an air-tight back and it will be good for months.
You have planted the herbs and watched them grow and flourish; now you can use your home grown herbs. Fresh herbs are fragrant, delicious and extremely useful in so many ways. Home grown herbs can be used for cooking, potpourri or medicinal purposes. But, using herbs from a home herb garden requires a little bit of preparation first.
Timing is important when you are ready to harvest your herbs for use. Many factors such as, wind and heat, can affect the essential oils of the herbs. Harvest your herbs on a calm day, preferably on a dry morning. On extremely we days, herbs produce fewer essential oils and it’s also a good idea to harvest the herbs just after the dew has dried from the leaves.
Harvesting your herbs for use does not mean you need remove the entire plant, just take as much as you need for use. Herbs can be used throughout their growing season and harvested for drying before winter. Freshly picked herbs can be used immediately or harvested and preserved for later use. Be careful not to pick more than a third of the plant’s leaves at one time. The plant will need a good amount of foliage to re-grow and stay healthy.
Before harvesting, inspect the plant for insects and damaged leaves before you harvest them. Pick healthy leaves and remove dried or damaged leaves from your herb plant. When herbs like marjoram, thyme and oregano start to bloom little flowers, you need to harvest some soon. Cut them back below the flowers to encourage re-growth.
Preserving herbs from your home herb garden…
There are three easy methods for preserving fresh herbs for later use:
Drying
Freezing
Preserving them in a medium like salt, sugar, oil or vinegar
The best method for drying herbs is to bundle six to twelve stems together and remove any leaves near the base of the stems. Secure the bundle with string and hang them in a cool, dry, dark place that is away from any sunlight. If you are drying small amounts or a few individual large leaves, you can place them on a screen or a rack to dry. Remember to turn them often in order for them to dry properly and keep them away from light.
You can dry herbs with kitchen appliances like dehydrators, ovens or microwaves, but it’s easy to burn and over dry your herbs with these methods and lose the precious oils which provide the flavor and aroma. A dehydrator is probably the safest of these methods for drying herbs when you are in a hurry.
Freezing herbs is a fairly simple way to preserve herbs, but not all herbs do well with freezing. Basil will turn black when frozen, yet a great way to freeze basil is to first make basil pesto and then freeze the pesto. Keep the pesto in an air-tight back and it will be good for months.
To freeze fresh herbs, cut the herbs into ¼ inch pieces and place on a baking sheet lined with wax paper. Once the herbs are frozen, you can place them together in an air tight freezer bag and store them in the freezer until use. You can also place the chopped herbs in an ice cube tray, fill it with water and make frozen herb cubes. These can be dropped into soups or thawed for later use.
The third way to preserve herbs is through a medium. For instance, you can cover herbs like chopped mint, basil or tarragon with vinegar and it they can be preserved for several months. You can also preserve herbs in salt by putting some salt in a container, then alternating layers of fresh herbs between salt, making sure the last layer of herbs are covered in salt. Seal the container with a lid and store in the refrigerator.
The herbs with continue to dry and can stay good for about 2 months. Use the herbs as needed. This same method can be used to flavor sugar with mint leaves. Layer mint leaves in sugar and seal. The mint oils will penetrate the sugar and this mint sugar is wonderful sprinkled on desserts or added to drinks.
Of course, it’s always great fun to cook with herbs freshly picked from your home herb garden. Just take a minute to rinse them clean and be sure you use organic gardening methods to take care of pests. An easy way to clean herbs is to place them in a bowl of cool water or a clean kitchen sink if you have many herbs that need to be cleaned. Add around a tablespoon or two of salt to the water to drive away any insects without damaging the herbs. Remove the herbs from the water, spin them dry them in a salad spinner and enjoy.
Different varieties of herbs have different uses; both culinary and medicinal. Some herbs like Lavender are often used primarily for their fragrance, while other herbs are used for medicinal purposes in tinctures or homemade skin creams. Of course there are the popular herbs for cooking like basil and thyme.
Each different type of herb has its own requirements for growing, harvesting, using and preserving. Make sure you understand the specific type of herb you are using and how best to harvest and use it correctly.
With a little knowledge and planning, you can enjoy fresh herbs from your Home Herb Garden year round!
The third way to preserve herbs is through a medium. For instance, you can cover herbs like chopped mint, basil or tarragon with vinegar and it they can be preserved for several months. You can also preserve herbs in salt by putting some salt in a container, then alternating layers of fresh herbs between salt, making sure the last layer of herbs are covered in salt. Seal the container with a lid and store in the refrigerator.
The herbs with continue to dry and can stay good for about 2 months. Use the herbs as needed. This same method can be used to flavor sugar with mint leaves. Layer mint leaves in sugar and seal. The mint oils will penetrate the sugar and this mint sugar is wonderful sprinkled on desserts or added to drinks.
Of course, it’s always great fun to cook with herbs freshly picked from your home herb garden. Just take a minute to rinse them clean and be sure you use organic gardening methods to take care of pests. An easy way to clean herbs is to place them in a bowl of cool water or a clean kitchen sink if you have many herbs that need to be cleaned. Add around a tablespoon or two of salt to the water to drive away any insects without damaging the herbs. Remove the herbs from the water, spin them dry them in a salad spinner and enjoy.
Different varieties of herbs have different uses; both culinary and medicinal. Some herbs like Lavender are often used primarily for their fragrance, while other herbs are used for medicinal purposes in tinctures or homemade skin creams. Of course there are the popular herbs for cooking like basil and thyme.
Each different type of herb has its own requirements for growing, harvesting, using and preserving. Make sure you understand the specific type of herb you are using and how best to harvest and use it correctly.
With a little knowledge and planning, you can enjoy fresh herbs from your Home Herb Garden year round!
