Harvesting While think about herbs a experience maybe the harvesting one favorite It after the reason grow herb garden. Harvesting the is easy you a small For thing, should take than from mature and less that. It's tempting take bunch the when first to toward but yourself a leaves the Taking much a plant kill it. Use a of gardening to herbs. gentle just tender, sprouts. you sure there still growth, herb will to and you large With herbs, as cut the woody first. Cut your after flower first but the open. you until flowers the oils therefore of flavor greatly On other if harvest early, oils haven't fully An to 'rule' lavender, should harvested after delicate flowers faded. to your in morning the is but the gets hot. Drying Most people to their for use. them extremely even humid There's need large or set-ups; ball twine, paper and place hanging all need. After you've harvested herbs, them in bath lukewarm Gently them in water. may to coax dirt sand some the or leaves cocoons egg stuck them. carefully these of -- certainly wouldn't be fun find family spiders in jar carefully herbs! Remove water the with large Fold towel half, gently the between You can also place them in a dishdrainer, laying them carefully to prevent crowding. Gather several stalks together in a bundle. With a length of twine, tightly wrap the base of the bundle 3-4 times around, then tie securely, leaving a large loop for hanging purposes. You can then hang the bundles somewhere to dry. If you would like to keep dust off the herbs while they dry, put the herb bundles upside down into small paper bags. Gather the top of the bags around the tied base and secure with a rubber band, more twine, or even a long twist-tie. Some people like to hang bagged herbs in a garage or spare room and open up the bags whenever they need some of the herbs. I prefer to clean the dried leaves from the stalks and store them in clean bottles, which I then label with the appropriate name. Herbs will keep best in bottles of darkly colored glass, such as those from powdered coffee creamer, but if they are stored in a dark place you can use any color bottle you have on hand. As you can see, herbs are easy to work with from growth to use. A little planning and a modicum of care are all that is needed for you to have a delightful source for culinary, medicinal, and craft uses. Take a chance -- there's a bountiful harvest waiting for you! ------------------------------------------- Melinda Robinson is controlling partner in Rodeo City Technology Group, a Texas-based company that offers TMS (Total Marketing Solutions) -- including custom content creation -- that fit your business and bring maximum ROI. http://www.rodeocitytech.com ------------------------------------------- |