Name: Spreading the Feast Gathering
Start: 2025-07-11T00:00:00-05:00
End: 2025-07-12T23:59:59-05:00
Location: LaGrange, KY

Tagged: garden, gardening, herbs

This topic has 9 replies, 5 voices, and was last updated 12 years, 10 months ago by LindseyD.

Viewing 10 posts - 1 through 10 (of 10 total)

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July 18, 2012 at 9:48 pm
LindseyD
Participant
We have a pretty extensive herb garden this summer, and I need to know the best way to go about preserving our harvest. A lot of my plants, namely parsley and chives, are starting to flower. I’ve been pinching the flowers off to prolong the growth. What is the best way to dry/preserve the herbs as the season draws to a close?
The herbs we have lots of are: rosemary, mint, sage, oregano, chives, spearmint, echinacea, flat and curly parsley, English and French lavender, and 3 different types of thyme.
We probably won’t be living in this house next spring/summer, so I’d really like to take a good harvest with me.
Thanks!
Lindsey
July 18, 2012 at 10:24 pm
Rachel White
Participant
I’ve always dried mine and put some in small glass spice dispensers for cooking use,then seal w/ the Food Saver on the remainder; either in ball jars if you have the connector(I don’t) or in the bags and keep in a dark, cool place.
YOu can freeze them as herb butters or herbal ice cubes, but I think that’s far more trouble than it’s worth. I thjnk the drying is the most versatile in:
tea
cooking
medicine
HTH
July 24, 2012 at 3:58 pm
LindseyD
Participant
Rachel,
I don’t have a dehydrator. Dh just bought me a BlendTec, so I don’t foresee a dehydrator purchase in the near future. My oven’s lowest temperature is 170 degrees. Will this work for dehydrating the herbs?
I do have a Food Saver with the jar attachment and the bags. Which would be your preference?
I’m going to attempt an echinacea tincture with the leaves and petals of my plants. I hope it turns out!
Blessings,
Lindsey
July 24, 2012 at 4:53 pm
missingtheshire
Member
Lindsey, echinacea tincture is generally made from the roots, about a cup chopped and then 80% proof alcohol like vodka, the leaves will make a tea, but the tincture that you buy at the health food shop is made from fresh or dried roots. you pour enough alcohol over the roots to just cover them and leave for two weeks, you should shake the mixture twice a day every day. After two weeks you can strain the alcohol which will be brown and that is your health giving tincture. It is not hard to do, but the roots are tough and it takes effort to chop them. You can then put your final liquid into your own bottles, preferably dark brown. I use a canning jar for the first part of this with a good tight lid. Pretty easy to make.
July 24, 2012 at 5:03 pm
Rachel White
Participant
The ideal temp. is 110; but can go as high 180 from what I’ve read.
Turn on the oven, as low as possible, and open the door and keep an eye on them.
You could also do it the old fashioned way of stringing them up, upside down.
Plus there are other ways to dry them on screens and some frozen well (like mint).
http://www.mountainroseherbs.com/newsletter/09/september/dryingherbs.php
http://www.herbcompanion.com/in-the-herb-garden/diy-drying-fresh-herbs.aspx
You can make mint/spearmint jelly and mint/spearmint extract using vodka. There are recipes online.
Some of these can be made into perfumes (ex: LAvendar water).
I don’t have a preference regarding the jars v/s the bags. The bags take up less room, but the jars would be easier to reseal repeatedly after opening to take herbs out. Jars are good for liquid preservation. I don’t have the jar attachment though I use my canning jars all the time for storing all sorts of things. try doing it both ways and see what you like best.
HTH
July 24, 2012 at 6:33 pm
LindseyD
Participant
Linda,
I’ve read in several places that it’s best to use all parts of the plant: roots, flower, and leaves. I was really hoping to avoid digging my coneflowers up, as we planted them purposefully since they are perennials and will come back. I’ve no hope of them coming back if I dig up the roots! Do you think it would work at all to use the flower and leaves only? Or would I be wasting a lot of expensive vodka?
Rachel,
Thank you for those links! I wouldn’t mind trying a mint extract, but I’m honestly not sure how to use a mint jelly?? I know mint goes well with lamb, but I’ve never cooked lamb and organic, grass-fed lamb is SO expensive! Anyway, I’ll keep thinking on it. I know I’ll preserve them one way or another because we’ve worked too hard on this herb garden not to!
Blessings to you both,
Lindsey
July 24, 2012 at 7:01 pm
missingtheshire
Member
Lindsey, you don’t need to dig up the whole plant, just take some of the fresh roots, ( I just dig with my hands under the plant and take some of the fresh root) and use the leaves too, not the flowers. The leaves will make a tincture but the root is supposed to have the most potent part of the herb. Remember the seeds in the echinacea flower will help spread the plant, I started with a couple of the plants and now I have a lot. Chop the leaves in with the root if you like. Once you have strained it you can later strain off the sediment if you want to. Echinacea can interfere with other medications and pharmaceuticals, so don’t use if you are taking anything else without a herbalist or medical doctor saying it is ok. Don’t take long term either as it can lose effectiveness – better to take it in short courses.
July 24, 2012 at 10:10 pm
Doug Smith
Keymaster
You just have to check out this method of drying herbs.
July 24, 2012 at 10:25 pm
Treasure House
Participant
I don’t have a garden now since we moved to the mountains, but am a member in a share of a local farm that delivers produce every week for over half of the year. I’ve had to get creative to use everything and have found some great time savers. Out of desperation to use large amounts, I discovered a couple of great methods for preserving herbs (parsley, cilantro, dill…) & tender greens (spinach, beet greens, chard…).
1st method: I just throw herbs & olive oil into my food processor and freeze. If you spread it out in a freezer bag (or parchment or wax paper if you don’t use plastic), you can just break off whatever you want to use and throw the rest back in the freezer. I was amazed at how well it held up. I used it in all my cooking and it tasted like fresh. I found it was best to add at the end of the cooking time to preserve the freshest taste. Also, add to salad dressings & sauces.
2nd method: Make pesto and freeze in similar manner as above, although I usually use a whole batch at a time. All kinds… cilantro, pecans, parmesan or feta, garlic, olive oil, & lime…spinach, parsley, garlic scapes, pine nuts or almonds, parmesan, lemon, olive oil…you name it. You can get very creative with its uses. Pizza base, pasta, pearl couscous & beans. Add olive oil & vinegar &/or mayo for a salad dressing. Toss with roasted potatoes or other roasted veges. Toss with green beans & potatoes. Grill/roast/saute chicken or fish. Toss with ready made frozen ravioli. Top sliced tomatoes. Vegetable salad. Sandwich spread…great panini’s. Add to chicken, tuna, or egg salds. Maybe deviled eggs.
Just be sure to pristinely clean the herbs because they can start to break down in the freezer if they’re not. Blanching helps this, but I’ve only blanched greens and haven’t tried blanching herbs. I think the olive oil and the acid from the lemon helps.
HTH’s with your abundant harvest this year. How wonderful to have such a variety grown from your own hands. You’ve inspired me to think about container gardening next year.
July 24, 2012 at 11:28 pm
LindseyD
Participant
Oh my goodness, Doug! I absolutely LOVE that method! How creative and ingenius! And a heck of a lot cheaper than an Excalibur dehydrator. Thanks for sharing!
Treasure House, I love your suggestion to freeze the herbs with olive oil. What a great way to add flavor to just about everything, even in the dead of winter!