Harvesting Your Herb Garden

There's still plenty of growing season ahead, but if you'd like to reap the full benefits of your home grown herbs it's time to start gathering.

While fresh is always best, dried herbs will add fresh flavor to recipes all year long. If you've been using your herbs fresh during the summer, or pruning the plants, they should be nice and full about now for the fall harvest. If possible, gather your herbs in the early mornings after the dew has dried. This is when they have the most flavors. After your last harvest in fall, prune perennials to about half their height. Annuals can last right up until frost.

There are several ways to preserve your herbs:

Drying naturally
Air-drying retains the highest flavor and quality to herbs. To dry low moisture herbs, such as parsley, sage, rosemary, thyme, and dill, make small bundles of 6 to 8 stems. Tie the bundles with twine or colored string. Hang upside down in a dark, warm, dry place. They lose more color if dried in the light. Best temperatures for drying are 68 '" 90F. Most herbs air-dry in 2-3 weeks. If you bend the stem and it breaks '" it's dry.

Oven drying
Set oven temperature to lowest setting (200F) to dry herbs slowly. Prop the oven door open for ventilation and place single layer of stems on cookie sheet with 1/2 inch between stems. Drying will be complete in 2-4 hours.

Microwave drying
This method dries flowers almost instantly and the colors will keep well. Lay a few stems of small leaf herbs between 2 sheets of paper towel. Microwave on a high setting for about 1 minute for most small blossoms. Check to see how they are drying and watch closely so they don't burn. Set a cup of water in the microwave, so the herbs won't dry out too much.

Freezing
This method locks in the herbs flavor and preserves it's nutritional value. Herb's that freeze well and maintain their quality are basil, mint, chives, dill weed, lemongrass, oregano, rosemary, sage and thyme. Wash and gently pat dry being careful not to release the essential oils in the leaves. Remove leaves from stems and spread in a single layer onto a cookie sheet. Freeze herbs for at least 2 hours or overnight. Keep the herbs in your freezer until ready for use. Frozen herbs preserve flavor for several months.

Once your herbs are dry, strip the stems of the herb leaves and store in properly labeled airtight glass or plastic containers keeping away from heat and light. Canning jars are the perfect choice. You reap the satisfaction of pretty jars filled with your own homegrown harvest lining your shelves. A filled half pint canning jar with a pretty ribbon and wide label wrapped around, to protect from sunlight, makes a nice gift. Add a favorite recipe for an extra personal touch.