Storing Herbs

Plan to prepare your herbs for storage immediately after gathering. Herbs left to sit even overnight will degrade in quality. Shake the dirt off. Sort out dead leaves and debris. Separate stems form leaves and seeds from chaff. Wash and blot-dry roots, then spread them out to dry. Roots will need to be chopped into pieces about 1 inch thick; leaves and flowers are best left as whole as possible. There are many ways to preserve your harvest' drying, freezing, extracting, distilling, and making into a wine are are just a few of the options you may wish to pursue.

Drying

Drying herbs is the easiest and most efficient way to store your harvest. It requires no special materials or equipment. All you need is a well-ventilated space out of direct sunlight and wind. The easiest way is to gather the herbs into 1-inch-diameter bundles secured with rubber bands or strings to allow the air to flow through the drying plants. Then hang them in a place that is shady and dry, with good ventilation. Hanging them upside down brings the essential oils into the leaves.

Another method is to put small amounts of herbs inside paper bags. The bags absorb a fair amount of moisture and protect the herbs from sun. Shake or stir the herbs every day until dry. This is especially effective when you are drying seeds. If the plant has a lot of moisture, cut a ventilation hole at the top of the bag. Or you can make quick screens by stapling sheer curtains to a frame. Lay the herbs out in a thin layer to dry. This screen works well for loose blossoms and leave.

When the herbs are crispy-dry, simply transfer them to air-tight containers such as glass jars. If you are a purist, you could make a muk-kuk, or birch-bark box. The bark of paper birch has mold-inhibiting agents, which facilitates storage.