Harvesting Herbs Come Fall

Many people plant herbs because it is just so much easier and more pleasurable to cook with flavorings that are growing right outside your own kitchen door. But many herbs can be harvested, dried, and stored to use all winter long as well.

Before you harvest your herbs for winter, you want to do a little research on which ones are best for drying and how to go about it.

One easy way to dry herbs is to cut them on long stems, bundle the stems with a bit of wire or a twist-tie, then hang them in a dry place upside down. Once dried, you can crumble the leaves and store them in baby food jars or small jelly jars that you save all summer for that purpose.

Some herbs can be chopped and frozen, or even chopped and frozen in ice cubes, then bagged to use in drinks. Mint is good for this, as is lemon balm and verbena.

Herbs can be preserved in olive oil with a little garlic or a few hot peppers. Basil and oregano are good herbs for preserving in cooking oil, but lavender and rosemary are also nice in light, sweet body oils (like almond or jojoba oil) that can be used later for scented bathing or massage.

Some medicinal herbs need to be picked at certain specific times. Others only use certain specific parts of the plant.

If you are growing herbs for medicinal purposes you will have to do additional research to get the greatest benefit from your efforts, and it wouldn’t hurt to find someone experienced in the growing and processing of medicinal herbs to take you on as an apprentice.

Keep in mind that while medicinal teas and tinctures can be great for home use, they are no substitute for traditional medicine and some family members may even develop allergies to them. Be sure to check with your doctor before deciding to treat you or anyone else with something you grew in your back yard.

Some herbs make great tasting teas regardless of their medicinal properties however, and this is another consideration when harvesting herbs in the fall. If you’ve never gathered rose hips to make tea and jam, consider giving that a try.

Rose hips tea has one of the highest concentrations of vitamin C you could ever hope to find in a hope drink, and it is fragrant, clear, and lovely. Chamomile makes a calming tea that has been brewed for generations for problem sleepers. Make sure you harvest both before the first frost kills all those great flavors.

Consider the using some of your harvested dried herbs in sachets and floral wreaths and decorations. Just tying up a bunch of dried lavender with a colorful ribbon and hanging it on a laundry room door will keep the scent of summer in your house through many a snowstorm, and it’s absolutely free!