Summer is a great time to replenish herbal supplies in our first aid kits and pantries. Thanks to the warm and sunny weather, right now many herbs achieve their strongest aromas, associated with the presence in the leaves, stems, seeds or roots of a huge amount of organic compounds, as well as aromatic oils. See how to harvest herbs and how to dry and store the collected herbs to preserve as much of their aroma as possible.
How to collect and store herbs?
How and when to harvest herbs
Herb leaves are the most commonly used herbal material in the kitchen.The leaves of the herbs are best harvestedjust before or right after flowering. This does not mean, however, that herbs cannot be harvested at other times. In summer, beautiful, sunny weather reduces the amount of water in the plant tissues and thus exposes their strong aromas. Even herbs that have already bloomed this season regain their characteristic strong scents, encouragingto re-harvest herbsHowever, plants from warmer climates than ours should only be harvested until the end of August. Later harvests may weaken them and cause them to freeze over on colder winter days. This rule applies especially to rosemary, sage and lavender, which are true colds.
We should start harvesting aromatic herbal plantsthat grow in our garden or on our plot before noon, when the morning dew is gone.The strong aroma of some herbs, closely related to the presence of essential oils in their cells, decreases during hot summer afternoons and returns to its maximum value in the early evening. It is associated with the evaporation of chemical compounds responsible for the characteristic smell from the surface of plants under the influence of strongly heated air.
If we are also planningharvesting seeds from herbsgrowing in our gardens, it should be carried out in mid-August. When harvesting caraway, anise or fennel fruits, we follow the same principle as when harvesting seeds for sowing. As soon as we notice the ripe brown umbrellas of hard seeds, we can cut them whole and after drying them for a week in a ventilated place, shake them out of the seed heads into paper bags.
3 ways to store herbs
Of course, the best solution is to use fresh herbs on a regular basis, whether in the kitchen or in cosmetics, making them into hair rinses, astringent masks or compresses for tired and sore body parts.However, in summer we have so many herbal plants that it is worth spending a few hours to preserve their wonderful smell and he alth-promoting properties for the remaining months.Storing herbswill allow us to enjoy their aromas also in winter.
1. Drying herbs
One of the most commonly used methods of preparingherbal raw material for storingis drying the herbs. The most important rule is to dry the herbs as soon as possible to keep the maximum content of essential oils and active substances inside. The parts of the plants to be dried should be dry, free from contamination, and free from insects and diseases. We spread them in a thin layer on a double layer of blotting paper or newsprint and leave them until they are completely dry in a shaded but airy place, moving them occasionally.
Note!Herbs must not be dried in the sun because the active substances and essential oils contained inside them decompose very quickly in full sunlight.In other words - the sun kills all that is best in dried herbs.
If we have a shady, clean attic, hang there stalks of mint, sage or hyssop tied in loose bunches. Plants in such conditions will slowly dry up without losing valuable ingredients. Another solution is to use an electric stove or even an ordinary microwave oven to dry the leaves and roots of the oven, which significantly reduce the time needed to dry the plants thoroughly. If we need to quickly dry larger amounts of collected herbs, we should heat the oven to a temperature of about 60 - 70 ° C, place the plants in it on baking trays, and leave the door slightly ajar. The quality of the plants must be checked frequently and the temperature reduced if necessary. The herbs should be dry, but not crumble into powder when touched.
Drying herbs in the attic
2. Freezing herbsA completely different method of preservation is the use of very low temperatures. Frozen plants retain much more freshness than when dried, and are more convenient to use. Before freezing, the herbs do not even need to be ground up - if they are arranged loosely in bags, it will be very easy to crush them just before use.
"An excellentway to store herbsis to freeze chopped herbs in ice cubes. After filling the molds almost to the brim with chopped leaves, fill them up to the full with water. Herbs prepared in this way are practical flavor cubes, free of preservatives and other artificial additives, which can be easily added to prepared meals. Flowers of borage or marigold frozen in ice cubes are equally interesting. They can decorate cold soups or refreshing drinks served during family celebrations. "
Remember!If you freeze several different plants, it is worth labeling the containers if you do not want to open each package afterwards in search of the herbal supplement you need at the moment.
3. Preserving herbs in brine
Another, long-practiced way to preserve herbal aromas for a long time is to preserve whole shoots in wine vinegar, vegetable oil or olive oil.
A pleasant combination of summer scents of herbs and oil is a great addition not only to salads, but also curd spreads, aleos, stewed vegetables and other dishes. To prepareflavored herbal oilsjust get a bottle of good quality sunflower oil, grape seed oil or extra virgin olive oil, add a few twigs of our favorite herbs and wait for the aroma to penetrate from the plants to the contents packaging. If we put bottles with fresh herbal oil in a warm place and we move their contents every few days, the aromatic spice will be ready after 2-3 weeks, but the strongest aroma is obtained only after at least 1.5 months of waiting.In Italian and French cuisines, flavored almond oil with a specific sweetish aftertaste is also used to prepare tasty desserts. It is worth experimenting on your own with different herbal combinations to get your unique aromatized oil that will accompany us every day when preparing meals.
For lovers of spicy, sour flavors, I suggest putting on a few small bottles with sprigs of tarragon, sage or lemon balm, embedded in apple or wine vinegar. It takes only a minute to make such a product, and when we get a unique addition to dressings, sauces or marinades, we will wonder how we have been doing in the kitchen without his presence.I recommend all the classic and the more modernways to store herbs , so that our kitchen will have their pleasant aromas not only in summer, but also during the colder seasons of the year.
Emil Gwizdała
