GardenGap.com » Gardening » What To Do With Herbs From a Home Herb Garden

What To Do With Herbs From a Home Herb Garden

Herbs are so beneficial. They can be very beautiful to look at. They taste great and can have medicinal properties that you may not quite understand yet. No body said it would be easy, like going to your local store to pick up your favourite herbs to add to your cooking is part of your shopping chores. To produce your very own herbs from your home herb garden gives you the pleasure and self achievement as well as knowing there are no pesticides or chemical used.

You will need to harvest your herbs before you can actually use them. You have to be very carefull when you pick them to get the most from your herbs. You don't want to damage and strip them of their essential oils. Make sure the weather conditions are correct. A dry and calm day on a midsummer morning will give you the highest concentration of essential oils. Fewer oils are produced on wet or humid days so choose your harvesting wisely. Pick only a portion of your plant approximately a third, you need to leave some of the plant to help it grow again. Always check your herbs incase they are damaged or infested with insects.

Preserving your herbs can be done in three ways:

1. Drying

2. Freezing

3. Preserving them in a salt or vinegar.

To dry out your newly harvested plants, tie a bundle together carefully removing the foliage at the base of the stem. Hang them in a cool place away from direct sunlight. Drying individual leaves can be done by placing them on trays or a rack making sure you turn them so they dry out evenly. This can be done inside or outside, just make sure it's not too windy and blows all your efforts way! You could even use dehydrators, microwaves or even the oven, personally I find natural drying produces the best result.

One of the easiest ways to preserve your herbs is to freeze them. You will want to cut them into small manageable pieces ready to freeze. Place them on a tray as you would if drying them but place them in the freezer. Once they are frozen you can now keep them in a container, jar or bag just make sure it is freezer friendly. Put them back into your freezer until you need them. A quick way to freeze your herbs is to place them in your ice cube tray with a small amount of water.

Preserving fresh herbs in a medium like salt, vinegar or oil is also a possibility. Once you have dried your herbs in salt, sift out the dry brown herbs and store that seasoned salt for later use. If you choose to pack the herbs in jars and cover them with vinegar, or oil, they will need to be refrigerated until you use them.

You will also use your herbs fresh from the garden. Be sure they are clean when you do. Place your herbs in a bowl or basin filled with cool water. Use two tablespoons of salt for about a gallon of water. Salt drives insects away but does not harm the plant for your use. Your salad spinner is the quickest way to quickly dry your freshly washed greens. Enjoy using your fresh herbs in all the traditional ways.

You will need to do some more research about your home herb garden as every herb you are thinking of using will be different. They will require different elements and specific needs to help them grow and thrive.

Article Source: GardenGap.com

About the Author

Want to find out more about Gardening Herb Tips, then visit Tony Stevens's site on how to choose the best Home Herb Garden for your needs.