Thứ Bảy, 26 tháng 3, 2016

Drying Garden Herbs



The main purpose of growing some herbs is just because they are beautiful to look at and have a lovely scent. But other herbs are grown and harvested for medicinal, seasoning, or aromatic purposes. This means that they have to be preserved in the right way, usually dried. There are various ways of drying garden herbs using bag, trays, air drying, and even new techniques like microwave drying.
Here are some tips on how to dry fresh herbs:  
Bag
There are many herbs that have beautiful flowers, but they also have seeds which can be easily harvested. The easiest way to do this is to simply let the flowers dry on a piece of paper and then roll the paper up and shake the seeds out into a container. To save the leaves of the plant, there are a few other steps that need to be followed.
Once the flower and roots are removed from the stalk, rinse the stem and leaves in water and let them soak until any soil remaining on them will loosen and fall off without damaging the plant. When this is done, simply take them out of the water and let them air dry on a paper towel.
Place the plant inside the paper bag. Make sure that the flower end is at the bottom of the bag and the stalks stick a few inches out of the bag. Use a string or rubber band to tie around the top of the bag and put it down with the stalks sticking out of the top. Oil from the stems go through the capillaries and into the leaves, saturating them with their unique taste and smell.
The proper method for drying garden herbs is to place them in an atmosphere of moderately dry air for about two weeks. When the leaves become brittle and crumble easily, separate and place them in an air tight jar. They are then ready to use as potpourri or seasoning for foods.
Tray
Every herbalist should know how to dry fresh herbs in a tray. When undertaking tray drying, there is no need for the stalks - just the stems and leaves. Clean as above and arrange them without overlap on the tray, then place the tray into a cool dark place. Every day, take the tray and flip the herbs over so they will dry evenly. In just a few days, they will be appropriately dried.
Microwave
If time is short, using the microwave oven to dry herbs is an option. Place the herbs on a paper towel or paper plate (doing so will help absorb the moisture better than a microwave-safe plate will). Set the microwave to medium power for about two minutes (altering the time based on the type and amount of herb).
Rub a leaf between your fingers to check its dryness. It should be quite brittle and crumble with little pressure. If that is not the case, check again at 30 second intervals until the proper level of dryness is achieved.
Caution: After so much time in the microwave, the herb is no longer drying. Since microwaves stir up water molecules in the food, causing them to heat up and then evaporate, once the moisture is gone you may cause damage to your microwave by keeping it going. And if you have the power too high when drying garden herbs or you cook for too long, you may end up cooking the herb. Keep trying until you get it just right.
So there you have it, 3 different methods on how to dry fresh herbs!

Không có nhận xét nào:

Đăng nhận xét