Handling Sheltered Herbs

You've gone through your planting and growing your own sheltered herbs or home herb garden. You've known so well the usefulness of the herb plant in various ways. Now, that you have your herbs, healthy and fully grown, handling or using it is now foremost in your mind. But, there are some important things that you have to do first when handling or using your own sheltered herbs or home herb garden.

To handle or use your herbs, it is necessary that you have to harvest them. Be careful in choosing the time for your intended harvest. Avoid a windy time or too much heat of the day as it can banish away the herbs important oils. The time for the harvest of your herbs should be on the first part of the day which peaceful although dry during the summer season. On very wet days, herb plants produce only fewer oils. So, right before the opening of the herbs' flowers and after the drying of dews on the herb plant's leaves, you have to harvest them. Remember that to harvest your sheltered herbs or home herbs you don't have to pull out or remove the herb plant entirely. At this stage, you can just take a minimal amount of growth for your present use. But during harvest, in which case you can harvest more than what you need for the day, you can just keep them in the refrigerator for later use or preserve them. Also, don't forget that only a maximum of one-third of the herbs' foliage can be taken at any one time. It is necessary for the herb plant to have the right amount of foliage for its healthy re-growth. Make sure that before harvesting your herbs there are no insects in them and their leaves are free from damage.

To preserve the herbs by drying - together, bundle six to twelve stems of your herbs and near the base of the stems take away any foliage. Tie the bundle with a string to secure it. You have to hang the bundle in a cool and sunlight free place. In the case of leaves, dry them individually by placing them on a rack or on a screen. There are other people who have opted to dry herbs in some appliances like ovens, microwaves or dehydrators - but these options are unsatisfactory. One simple and usual way of preserving herbs is by freezing. Usually, on a baking sheet lined with wax paper you put your ¼ inch pieces of herbs and you freeze them, then put them in a bag and keep them in the freezer for use anytime. You can also use vinegar or salt in your herbs to preserve them. Basil, mint or tarragon can be soaked with vinegar and it will stay on for many months. You can also use enough salt needed to preserve fresh herbs.

People, oftentimes, prefer to use their sheltered herbs or home herbs fresh straight right from their garden. Just be sure that the cleaning procedure is followed before using your fresh herbs in your cooking. In your sink or in a bowl of cool water wash your herbs and sprinkle two tablespoons of salt for insects to be driven away but won't harm your herbs.

Always be meticulous enough to follow the list of instructions for each of the different types of herbs - on the right way to harvest them, on how to properly use them, and also on how to cut or chop them.