You've Grown Your Own Herbs - Now Here's How to Use Them

You have planted the herbs and watched them grow and flourish. Whether you planted the herbs from seed or seedlings, watching them grow is very rewarding. They are extremely useful in so many ways, but using herbs from a home herb garden requires a little bit of work first.

In order to use the herbs you will need to harvest them. Timing is a huge factor. The wind and the heat can disperse the essential oils of the herbs. You should choose a calm and dry morning during midsummer to harvest your herbs. Fewer oils are produced by the herb on extremely wet days. The best time to harvest your herbs is right before the flowers open and just after the dew has dried from their leaves. Cut herbs mid-morning after allowing the morning dew to dry from the leaves, but before the plants are wilting in the afternoon sun.

Harvesting the herb does not mean removing the entire plant. At this point, you are just taking a certain amount of growth for use. It is not necessary for you to use the herbs that you are harvesting at the time that you pick them. You can preserve them to use later. Be careful not to take more then one third of the plant's foliage at one time. The plant will need a good amount of foliage to re-grow well. While clipping, this is the perfect time to check for dead foliage and unwanted pests.

Typically there are three ways that people preserve their herbs for later use. These include drying, freezing or preserving them in a medium like salt or vinegar.

Air drying herbs is not only the easiest and least expensive way to dry fresh herbs, but this slow drying process also doesn't deplete the herbs of their oils. This process works best with herbs that don't have a high moisture content. This would include Dill, Bay, Marjoram, Oregano, Rosemary, Thyme and Summer Savory. Moisture dense herbs, like Basil, Chives, Tarragon and mint, preserve better in a dehydrator or by freezing.

In order to air dry herbs, you will need to bundle six to twelve stems together and remove any foliage near the base of the stems. You can secure the bundle with string. Each bundle should be placed in a cool location, away from sunlight. If you are looking to dry individual leaves, you can place them on a screen or a rack. Don't forget to turn them often in order for them to dry properly. Some people will use microwaves to dry herbs as well, although this is less satisfactory.

Freezing herbs is a fairly simple way to preserve them. Cut the herbs into ¼ inch pieces and place on a baking sheet lined with wax paper. Once the herbs are frozen, you can place them together in a bag and store them in the freezer until used. The third way to preserve herbs is through a medium. For instance, you can cover herbs like chopped mint, basil or tarragon with vinegar in order to preserve them for several months. Or you can make a flavored salt to preserve herbs by alternating layers of fresh herbs between salt. Wait until the herbs are completely dry and then separate them from the flavored salt and tuck them away in airtight containers.

Of course, people often use fresh herbs right out of the garden. In order to clean fresh herbs, place them in a bowl filled with cool water. If there is a large quantity of herbs, you can use the sink. Placing about two tablespoons of salt in the water is advisable. 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.


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If you are seeking detailed instructions for growing your own herbs, author Lanny Danenberg's new book, The Complete Herb Garden How-To Guide is full of timely tips. Lanny lives in the San Francisco Bay Area and is a cooking and herb enthusiast. This valuable resource is available for immediate download at http://www.herbgardenhowtoguide.com/herbalgardeningbook.htm