The Home Herb Garden

Grow Herbs at Home

If you have already planted your herbs, you will have watched them sprout and flourish. They are extremely useful in so many ways. But, using herbs from a home herb garden requires a little bit or work first.

The very first thing to do is to harvest them and getting the timing right is one of the most important things. Did you know that the essential oils in the herbs can be leeched away by the wind and heat?. You should harvest them on a still and dry day sometime around misdsummer. On very wet days, herbs make very little of their oils. So wait for a few hours for the early morning dew to evaporate from the leaves and then pick them just before the flowers open.

Harvesting the herb does not mean removing the entire plant. You just want to take what you need at that time. Also you won’t necessarily need to use them immediately after picking. You can preserve them to use later.It is important that you leave at least two thirds of the plants foliage ant any time. This will help the herb to recover and re-grow. While picking it is always wise to check the plant for any damage from insects and weather.

Essentially, there are three ways to store your herbs; freezing, drying and 'pickling’ in vinegar or salt. In order to dry herbs you need to bundle six to twelve stems together and remove any foliage near the base of the stems. Tie the bundle up with some gardening string. Hang the bundle in a cool location away from sunlight. For individual leaves, place them on a drying rack. Turn them  Remember to turn them often in order for them to dry properly. Some people have turned to using appliances like dehydrators, ovens or microwaves to dry herbs as well although these are less satisfactory ways.

Freezing is a fairly easy method of presaervation. Place the ¼ inch cut herbs onto a baking tray covered with wax paper. Once the herbs are frozen, you can place them together in a bag and store them in the freezer until use.

The third alternative for storing your herbs is via a medium. For instance, you can cover herbs like chopped mint, basil or tarragon with vinegar and it will be preserved for several months. Or you can make a flavored salt to preserve herbs by alternating layers of fresh herbs between salt. When completely dry separate the brown herb from the flavored salt and store it in an airtight container.

You can, of course use your herbs fresh and straight out of the garden. Take care cleaning the herbs before they are placed fresh in recipes. In order to clean fresh herbs place them in a bowl filled with cool water. Use a sink if there are a lot of herbs to prepare. Place about two tablespoons of salt in the water. The salt in the water will drive away insects without damaging the plant. Remove the herbs from the water and dry them in a salad spinner.

There are many different kinds of herb for many different uses. Each one will need to be picked and prepared in a slightly different way. Make sure into research the specific type of herb you are using to use it correctly.