"Harvesting and Drying Herbs. How to harvest, dry, and freeze herbs from Garden Guides"
When you think of herbs, you probably don’t consider harvest time, since most gardeners clip herbs throughout the growing season for culinary use. But as the end of the summer nears, and the first frost threatens to kill less hardy herbs, consider clipping the remaining leaves for drying, freezing, or preserving in oils and infusions.
Herbs can be either annual or perennial, and some behave differently in different growing zones. Perennials should come back each spring and they require very little care during growing or dormant seasons. Annuals can be dug out of the ground and potted in containers to extend their seasons in a sunny windowsill.
Some perennials, like parsley and chives, will continue growing well into the chilly temperatures, and they’ll be among spring’s first sprouters, too.  The more tender-leaf varieties like cilantro, marjoram or the mint family will wilt as the temps fall. However, their remaining leaves shouldn’t go to waste.
Most herbs can be dried for kitchen use and some are as flavorful in cooked dishes as fresh cut. Oregano, especially Greek oregano, is slightly less bitter when used dried, which is the method preferred by many chefs. Dried chives have a much more sweet, delicate, and less sharp flavor. Many small-leaved herbs can be dried in a day or two in the sun or in a food dehydrator. For chives, snip or cut into 1/8-inch pieces and store in a light-blocking, airtight container for use up to a year. Most other herbs have leaves that will break into perfect shaker-size bits when pinched off of the dried stems and crumbed between fingers or in a plastic bag.
Dill usually dies out before the end of summer but the remaining ferny leaves can be used dried, as long as they’re stored in airtight jars. Again, most chefs prefer to cut dill into small 1/8- to 1/4-inch pieces. Dill seeds are a pungent staple in many baking recipes and often they’re dried to perfection in the sun and only need to be shaken off the dead flower tops. Stalky herbs like rosemary and lavender are commonly left in the ground, unharvested, to add interest to winter landscapes.
If you choose to cut lavender back in the fall, cut close to the ground. Bunches of dried lavender stalks look great in a tall vase and add a clean fragrance to any room. Or, the flower heads can be pinched off of the stalks and used in sachet bags, potpourris or teas.
Citrus-scented herbs like lemon thyme or lemongrass dry easily and not only add a nice bright flavor to chicken, lamb, and vegetables, but they also smell fantastic as they cook. Like most herbs, whatever spikes or leaves remain on the plant at the end of summer can be cut back, brought in and stored in the refrigerator for several days up to a couple of weeks, or dried immediately and stored for months to provide fresh-tasting recipes all winter long.
herb harvesting and preparation
Herb Harvesting and Preparation and links to asian food recipes and information on food culture, cooking utensils, food history and asian culture..
http://asiarecipe.com/herbgloss.html
growing herbs in the home garden
Offers information for beginning herb gardeners on history, cultivation, harvesting, and uses of herbs..
http://www.wvu.edu/~agexten/hortcult/herbs/ne208hrb.htm
harvesting and preserving herbs
Learn to grow your own indoor herb garden! Guides, tips, resources, and articles..
http://indoorherbgardentips.com/harvesting-herbs.html
harvesting herbs harvesting basil harvesting seeds
Harvesting herbs is very similar to harvesting vegetables. Once your herb garden gets growing, you can harvest from it nearly everyday if you like.
http://www.growing-herbs-at-home.com/harvesting-herbs.html
garden hobbies how to harvest herbs and drying herbs
Herb gardeners are special people. They are avid gardeners who know that home grown herbs have the best flavor and aroma. Harvesting and drying herbs is an important .
http://gardenhobbies.com/herbs/dryingherbs.html
how to harvest dry and store herbs with chart
Harvesting Most herbs can be used fresh, dry, or fresh-frozen. The rule of thumb is to use twice as much of the fresh or frozen herb as the dried form (the dried herb being a more .
http://earthnotes.tripod.com/harvest.htm
little city farm herb harvesting
Our greenhouse has turned into a solar herb drying facility - we've hung up a tarp to block out the sunlight, and have converted our shelving into herb drying racks, plus a long .
http://littlecityfarm.blogspot.com/2010/07/herb-harvesting.html
harvesting lobelia herb doityourself com
An annual plant, the herb lobelia inflata contains lobeline, an effective central nervous system relaxant, that is used to treat stress and respiratory problems..
http://www.doityourself.com/stry/harvesting-lobelia-herb
herb garden harvesting for remedial and medicinal herbs
Here is a list of some, perhaps lesser know, herbs which have had medicinal claims made for them. Beware though, there are many strains of similarly named plants which have .
http://ezinearticles.com/?Herb-Garden-Harvesting-For-Remedial-and-Medicinal-Herbs&id=3519190
herb harvesting and drying garima fairfax
This insightful article will teach you how to harvest and dry your herbs in a most delightful way..
http://allnaturalbeauty.us/ani18.htm