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The Home Herb Garden

If you have already planted your herbs, you will have watched them sprout and flourish. Hopefully you will now know how very useful they can be in lots of different ways. But, using herbs from a home herb garden requires a little bit or work first.

In order to use the herbs you will need to harvest them first and timing is a huge factor. Did you know that the essential oils in the herbs can be leeched away by the wind and heat?. You should harvest them on a still and dry day sometime around misdsummer. Fewer oils are produced by the herb on extremely wet days. So wait for a few hours for the early morning dew to evaporate from the leaves and then pick them just before the flowers open. Click here for more: herbs to grow at home

When harvesting, you don’t have to remove the whole plant. At this point, you are just taking a certain amount of growth for use. Also you won’t necessarily need to use them immediately after picking. They can always be preserved for later use.Be careful not to take more then one third of the plant’s foliage at one time. This will help the herb to recover and re-grow. While picking it is always wise to check the plant for any damage from insects and weather. 

Typically there are three ways that people preserve their herbs for later use; drying, freezing, or preserving them in a medium like salt or vinegar. In order to dry herbs you need to bundle six to twelve stems together and remove any foliage near the base of the stems. You can secure the bundle with string. Then choose a cool place to hang them. For individual leaves, place them on a drying rack. Turn them  Remember to turn them often in order for them to dry properly. Some people have turned to using appliances like dehydrators, ovens or microwaves to dry herbs as well although these are less satisfactory ways. For more visit our blog: Herb Gardening Blog

Freezing herbs is a fairy simple way to preserve herbs. Place the ¼ inch cut herbs onto a baking tray covered with wax paper. Once the herbs are frozen, you can place them together in a bag and store them in the freezer until use.

The third alternative for storing your herbs is via a medium. For instance, you can cover herbs like chopped mint, basil or tarragon with vinegar and it will be preserved for several months. Or you can make a flavored salt to preserve herbs by alternating layers of fresh herbs between salt. The salt will completely dry out the herb and all that is needed is to separate them and store in an airtight tub. 

You can, of course use your herbs fresh and straight out of the garden. Make sure you clean them properly before using them. To clean them correctly, place them in a bowl of clean cool water. Use a sink if there are a lot of herbs to prepare. Add about two tablespoons of salt to the water. The salt in the water will drive away insects without damaging the plant. Remove the herbs from the water and dry them in a salad spinner. 

There are many different kinds of herb for many different uses. Each different type of herb has their own list of instructions on how to use, harvest, and chop them. So make certain you research the type of herb you are preparing beforehand to get the best from it. Click here for more: Herb Garden Facts