Using Herbs From Your Home Herb Garden
Before the summer ever got underway you had already planted your home herb garden and over the course of the summer you’ve watched them grow and flourish. But what do you do with them now? Herbs have a lot of uses. but before you get to that point you’ll have a little work to do first.
The first order of business is to do what farmers like to call harvest time. But you have to have a nose for this type of thing. If you pick your herbs at the wrong time, your crop won’t turnout as well. The key is to keep the essential oils in the herb and not let wind, heat or too much rain ruin it for you. The best time to harvest your home herb garden is on a calm, midsummer morning, after all the dew has evaporated but before the flowers open for the day. You don’t want to pick the entire plant, just one-third – leave the rest so it will grow back. You can also take the opportunity during harvest time to inspect your plants for pests, diseases or damaged leaves. Also, don’t worry about harvesting more than you can use right now, you can always preserve the herbs to use later on.
Let’s talk about the three main methods people use to preserve their home herb garden. They are:
Drying, freezing or preserving them in a medium… usually vinegar or salt.
To dry your herbs, simply bundle them together, being careful to remove all the leaves off the bottom of the stem for easier handling and then hang them upside down in a cool area out of directly sunlight. Some folks have used appliances to accomplish the same task, but the quality will not be the same, so keep that in mind when deciding which method to use.
The second way to preserve involves freezing the herbs. This is a simple process, but you have to remember to freeze everything twice. First, you cut up you herb leaves into a manageable size and then freeze all the leaves individually on wax paper. Once all the leaves are frozen, you can then combine them into one bag for storage in the deep freezer. By freezing everything separate first you will be able to access only the herbs you need, without having to thaw out the entire bag.
The final method of preserving herbs is through a medium like salt or vinegar. The process is pretty much the same for both. The herbs are covered; the difference is how you store them. With vinegar, you cover the leaves and store in a Tupperware container, it will last for months. With salt, you wait until the leaves are brown and dry, then remove them from the salt and store in a cool dry place.
We all love our food to be as fresh as possible and that is one of the benefits of having a home herb garden right in your kitchen, you have access to it whenever you want. But take care to make sure your herbs are clean before you use them. Wash the leaves in a solution of cold water and salt. It should be sufficient to drive away the little bugs that may have made your herb garden a home. Then simply remove them and dry out the leaves using a salad spinner.
There are many different uses for each of the herbs in your home herb garden. With a little research you can learn the best way to use, harvest and preserve the herbs in your garden.
