Tip and Tricks for Harvesting and Drying Herbs
For all aboveground plant parts, it is best to wait to harvest until after 10 a.m., or after the dew has evaporated and before the intense heat of the day wilts the plant. Harvesting after a series of sunny days is ideal because it makes drying the harvested plant parts that much easier.
Drying herbs is an art and a wonderful skill to learn. Start simple and with small quantities. Hanging herbs in bundles is the traditional method. It is important to provide good airflow; on humid days, set up a fan to keep air moving. One method I’ve used is to throw a sheet on the floor of a spare room and lay out the herbs on the sheet. Once a day, I shake the sheet to turn over the stems, flowers, or leaves. Plants that contain a lot of water, such as comfrey, are the most challenging to dry. If you see black spots on leaves or tell-tale fuzzy growth, those are signs of mold. Simply break off those parts of the leaves, as the rest is still good for use.
A warm attic is ideal for drying herbs. Be mindful, though, that too much heat will crisp the material, which speeds up deterioration of constituents. Using a food dehydrator to dry herbs works well, as does using an oven (the very low heat provided by the pilot light serves well for drying herbs).
There’s nothing sadder than losing a harvest because you moved herbs into storage too soon. You want the leaves to crumble when you rub them between your fingers, but you don’t want them too crisp. A tried-and-true test of whether herbs are ready to be stored is to put a small amount of the dried herb in a mason jar and screw the lid on tight. If there is still moisture in the herb, condensate will form on the wall of the jar in a day or two. If this happens, continue drying and test again.
Those fortunate enough to have a greenhouse can try this very rapid method of drying described by seasoned herb farmers Andrea and Matthias Reisen from Healing Spirits Herb Farm in New York State: “The high shelves we use for the herbs that have less water in them, Nettle, Red Raspberry, Alfalfa then the lower shelves that have more shade from the upper shelves, for Comfrey, Mints, Lemon Balm, also Roses and Calendula so they don’t lose any of their color. We turn the herbs during the day so the underside also gets dry faster. Drying this way, we can usually move herbs through in twenty-four to thirty-six hours. Roots take longer of course. Because we are in Western New York we do not use a shade cloth, like you would in an area that gets hotter sun.1″
Notes
- Email communication with the author, May 18, 2021.