Late spring and all summer are the best times to pick the most popular herbs. It is worth using it and gathering herbs for the home medicine cabinet during walks in the meadows. How and when to collect herbs?
When planningcollecting herbs , go to an ecologically clean neighborhood. Preferably located away from roads where cars drive and farmlands where chemical fertilizers are applied. Take a large and necessarily flat basket so that the plants are placed in it quite loosely. Do not collect herbs in plastic bags, because they infuse quickly in them and lose many of their qualities. Different parts of the plant are used to make herbal medicines. They should be collected at certain times of the year - roots and rhizomes in late fall or early spring; the bark in early spring, when the plants begin to release their juices. During the period of full vegetation (May to mid-September) you can harvest most of the flowers, almost all herbs, leaves and fruits. How to do it and how to dry them afterwards so that the herbs retain all their valuable properties?
Herb collection: flowers
They are harvested at the beginning of flowering (e.g. chamomile, dandelion, coltsfoot flowers) or in full bloom (e.g. mullein flowers, cornflower, white light). This should be done on dry days, preferably around noon, when there is no more dew, because wet flowers darken easily. Therefore, start drying them as soon as possible. In a shaded airy room, spread the flowers in a thin layer on the paper so that they do not infuse. You can also do it in an electric dryer (for vegetables and fruit) or in an oven - at 30 C and with the door ajar. Properly dried flowers should retain their natural color and aroma.
Herb collection: leaves
It is best to collect young leaves before the flowering period, at the latest during flowering, because then they contain the most active substances. Keep the leaves dry - clean any sand, discard any that are yellowed or have spots. Leaves, like flowers, are best dried in natural conditions, i.e. in a ventilated and warm room. They can be spread out on canvas or on wooden frames covered with gauze. If you do not have such possibilities and you have to use the stove, do not heat it up to more than 35 ° C and remember to open the door. Well-dried leaves should break, but not dust.
ImportantLiketo store herbs?
Dark glass jars and bottles, wooden and cardboard boxes are suitable for this. The container must be tightly closed so that the herbs do not absorb moisture and odors. Pack them carefully so as not to break them excessively. It is worth remembering that herbs lose valuable substances, the plants rich in essential oils (e.g. mint, sage, lemon balm) are the fastest. Therefore, they should not be stored for more than a year.
Ziele
They are most often harvested when some of the flowers are blooming and others are still in buds. Some herbs can also be harvested when fully flowering (e.g. yarrow), and even when the fruit sets (e.g. tasznik, tricolor violet). Cut off the tops of the stems, leaving the bottom lignified. In the case of creeping herbs (thyme, halfwort, bird knotweed), cut the entire stem close to the ground. Shake off each herb immediately, removing sand and dust. Do not bind the herbs in bunches for drying, because no air reaches the squeezed plants and they often become moldy. In a shaded airy room, you can hang individual stalks or spread them in a thin layer on frames with a tight net. In rainy weather, place a fan heater in the room to dry the air. Properly dried herb should retain its natural color. Leaves can crumble in your fingers, but stems should break.
Collecting fruit and seeds
The harvesting of fleshy fruits begins when they are fully ripe. This is best done on a dry, sunny day. Pick individual fruits (rosehip, dogwood, hawthorn) or whole umbels (rowan, elderberry). On the other hand, fruits from the celery family (cumin, fenugreek, coriander, black cumin, fennel, anise) are harvested when they are ripe, but do not shed yet - cloudy mornings are suitable for this. Cut whole plants and tie them into bunches. Then hang the bunches from the ceiling and spread paper or fabric under them, onto which the dried seeds will fall. You have to "shake out" the rest and lay them out to dry. For drying fleshy fruit, you can use an electric kitchen dryer or an oven heated to 35-40 ° C (remember to open the door). During drying, the fruit must be turned over quite often so that it does not stick together and burn.
You must do itLavender ointment
2 tablespoons of fresh lavender flowers pour 0.5 l of olive oil, put the dish in a pot of boiling water and heat it for 2 hours. Leave the vessel in the water bath overnight. Filter the liquid through a double-folded gauze pad and store in a closed container in a dark place. Use as a lubricant as a disinfectant and healing aid in various diseasesskin.
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