Secrets to Drying Herbs With This Centuries Old-Method for Stronger Medicinal Properties
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- Опубліковано 26 вер 2024
- Drying herbs by hanging them is the method used for thousands of years, but knowing when to harvest them is key for the strongest medicinal properties. Plus, a few ways to dehydrate them if you don't have enough hanging space and when I will use a dehydrator vs. the hanging method. Most important how to store your herbs properly after they're dried.
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Thanks for watching, are you planning on using herbs more this year?
Yes, I'm waiting on my seeds now. Haven't been able to find rosemary though. It's my favorite.
Rosemary is easy to root a cutting from if you know anyone with a plant
Melissa K. Norris - Modern Homesteading Should I root in water first or soil? There seems to be a shortage in my area. It's not even in the grocery stores.
I plan on planting thanks to your advice ! Tips ! You explain the gardening so well. Easy to follow. Thank you. What dirt do you use? What soil should i do?
Great video! Very informative and yes, I have been growing more and plan to use them more this year.
Use rubber bands to tie up the herbs, as they dry and the stems get smaller the rubber band will tighten and hold them. Keeping them from falling out of the bunch.
I do it this way and it works great.
I’m using food grade butcher string. I try to use food grade if it’s touching my food. I wonder if rubber leaks into the herbs?
@@reginainok5228 my thought on that is that if it’s only touching the stem and not the actual leaves then I don’t think it would get into the part you actually eat.
Dr OBALA Healing Home on UA-cam have the treatment, it works for me...
Plus it’s a great way to recycle rubber bands 👍
OLD LEATHER SMITH here, I grow HOT PEPPERS, I dry them in paper bags, grind into pepper, yes it takes longer usually a YEAR but IT'S WORTH EVERY DAY, some of my friends found out so now I supply them and 1 chief, I like the heat without adding any FLAVOR, GOD'S BLESSINGS ✝️⚾🙃
Hang the bunches of herbs using Christmas ornament hooks. Cheap, easy, and most people have extras... plus you can tack up an herbal clothesline string anywhere.
Great idea!
but now i have learned from you i have a areogarden im not able to plant outside i live in nursing home
Staci Bailey Good Morning, Ms. Stacy,
I hope your environment is well in your home. Have a good day! Or try to make it better than yesterday.
ty you very much !
You need an herb drying rack above your island...it would be pretty hanging in mid hair with your herbs hanging down. I made one from an old window frame and chicken wire (old excess wire from my fence).
Dr OBALA Healing Home on UA-cam have the treatment, it works for me..
I like the paper bag method, because of the exact reasons you stated- insects, dust, and drop off- but I use lunch sacks. I can write what's in it too. I find it helps to give it a gentle shake or rotation every couple of days, just enough to rearrange the herbs and unstick any clumps to get the air through all of it. I even do my calendula flower heads this way because the rest of the head has more resins. ☺️
@Lori_Ann Allen with the bag method is it a must to place bags outside or can we place indoors in well ventilated space?
@@marylonfisher1300 I keep mine indoors and have had good luck with it. Just make sure to check them and shake the bag often. I haven't done any outside myself, but it seems like the weather, humidity, and temperature would affect how well they dried or didn't. Indoors you have some control of those too.
@@lori-annallen9186 awesome thanks so very much! I look forward to using this method and your shared experience will surely help along with said video. God bless!
Thank you, I kinda did my herbs in lunch bags.
Save seeds where you can. This is also this is the time to order seeds from this years crops. Food and medicinal herbs. Shortages will probably show up in seed companies earlier than usual as there is a really big dmsurge in folks wanting to be prepared just in case.
Dr OBALA Healing Home on UA-cam have the treatment, it works for me .
What a pretty basket of harvested awesomeness!!!
Dr OBALA Healing Home on UA-cam have the treatment, it works for me..
You need to try another chocolate peppermint. Mine tastes like chocolate.... so good!!!
okay, I thought so!!! Mine does too!
Happy to say that ours does too. It is my favorite mint in my herb garden. 💕
Yes mine smells like chocolate mint ice cream!!!!
Mine totally has chocolate tones too
Same.. I was going to comment but I see it already. Mine is yummy chocolatey and minty!
I have put a couple of hooks into my rafters, connected the loops with some paracord. Then I made some S-Hooks using 8 - 12 guage copper wire. I then hang bundles of herbs paracord loop using the S-hooks. Works really well and you have the aroma of the drying herbs as a natural air freshener.
I sometimes hang the herbs by their stems around the edge of the paper handle bag on the inside securing them with paper clips, clothes pins, or binder clips.
Thats what I do, also. I had some paper popcorn bags and put a small amount of herbs clipped to top. I had tons of little bags and would take them with me when I traveled! Worked fantastic
The elderberry blossom head is very beautiful!
Dr OBALA Healing Home on UA-cam have the treatment, it works for me.
I use rubber bands to tie up my bundles to dry. It works so well when they start shrinking!
Ditto
I live alone and do not use my gas oven to cook much in the summer. I use the low level pilot and the heat it generates to dehydrate herbs in the oven on a parchment coated cookie sheet.
Dr OBALA Healing Home on UA-cam have the treatment, it works for me.
brown paper bags also help absorb the moisture coming off the herbs
@Nomad Wizard well truth be known it is better to put them in a closet on stretched out mosquito nets with a dehumidifier in there and cure them rather than dry them. Cured is better than dried in quality as any one who has ever smoke cured weed compared to dried weed, but the bag works when you do not have much to do and you do not lose enough oil that it makes a big difference in the oils. That being said there are lots of ways of skinning a cat. The reason I do use a bag in the cases where i do, is because I live by a dirt road that raises a lot of dust and i do not want the dust on my herbs.... just sayin lol
@Nomad Wizard Also the quality of the herb is much better slow dried than fast dried in a oven or toaster or even in a micro wave which i have seen folks do. The old folks knew what they were doing by hanging them and slow drying them and that is the way i was raised to do it actually. So it is either that or the bag or my favorite is cured. cured leaves it potent, colorful, and leathery not dried and crumbly where it turns to dust.
Do we put the stem & all in the bag? Also do we hang the bag as she showed here.? Unfortunately I have hardly any shade. We don't open windows often bc of the heat.
@@AmyRector you can if your using the steams in a mixture. Even if your not using the steams in a mixture you do not want the herbs to pack up tight together or you might get a mold issue. they need lots of air circulation around them. It also takes longer to dry the leaves of a herb when attached to the stem. Do you want the properties of the stem to be pulled out in the leaves? Stems naturally take longer to dry than the leaves and roots take even longer in most cases. Many questions you could ask yourself. Me? I hang mine sometimes and bag them other times. Roots can be dried whole or chopped. If I was going to be storing the root for sometime I would store it whole. If I am going to use it right away I would chop it up. Some of that decision comes from what Ii intend to do with it after it is dry.
Dr OBALA Healing Home on UA-cam have the treatment, it works for me...
Georgeous home!
Dr OBALA Healing Home on UA-cam have the treatment, it works for me...
Thank you, Melissa!
Dr OBALA Healing Home on UA-cam have the treatment, it works for me
The most important issue not just ur agri knowledge but also ur cool pretty face . God bless u and the family .My best wishes for u all . My first time watching ur videos ..I subscribed good for me ..
Dr OBALA Healing Home on UA-cam have the treatment, it works for me.
Just a thought...if anyone doesn’t have a dehydrator necessary to dry the short tips of older herb stems - you could cut them with longer stems and remove the lower poor quality leaves and air dry them as normal.
I also can vouch for the tip already suggested below about using rubber bands...no more herbs collapsing on to the floor because their stems shrunk and escaped their strings!
Dr OBALA Healing Home on UA-cam have the treatment, it works for me..
Wow! Super informative video. I have been afraid to grow herbs because I didn't know much about them. Just this little bit has me excited about planting some next spring. Awesome information. Bless you.
Dr OBALA Healing Home on UA-cam have the treatment, it works for me .
Thank you so much....you saved my life also!
Dr OBALA Healing Home on UA-cam have the treatment, it works for me
Beautiful Chamomile Flowers, makes a great calming tea, 🫖 Tulsi 🍵 Tea😊 Awesome
It's a very useful video full of information. Thank you! I love the paperbag method.
But when you said you don't have much space... your american kitchen is the size of my whole flat, and you have a porch, too!
Dr OBALA Healing Home on UA-cam have the treatment, it works for me.
Thanks. Also side note some plants like artichokes do NOT like carbon steel which is what most garden tools are made of. I prefer Shear Perfection Japanese trimmers or a sharp stainless steel knife. But anything stainless will work.
Very helpful
Dr OBALA Healing Home on UA-cam have the treatment, it works for me.
Thank you for a great video!
Dr OBALA Healing Home on UA-cam have the treatment, it works for me
Super informative! I'm headed to my little herb garden now!
Great tip on using a paper bag to dry herbs . I'll have to try that
I love using herbs for cooking am trying to learn natural medicine as I am a nurse practitioner. I have been hanging to dry for years in the garage as it is shady/dark and cooler most of time. Sometimes it’s hard to tell what they are after drying so I staple a label or note on the string. Thanks for sharing.
So much info! Thank you! Also, I like your flower tower. What is it? Where? How?
Dr OBALA Healing Home on UA-cam have the treatment, it works for me
What an educational video.
I love herbs and I pick them a lot, but now I have learned how to let them dry! Thanks!
vegetable twist ties like for celery, lettuce, work really well.
Dr OBALA Healing Home on UA-cam have the treatment, it works for me...
Love your videos!
So glad you brought up the brown paper bag method. I uses this one a lot. Especially when wild harvesting away from home.
Dr OBALA Healing Home on UA-cam have the treatment, it works for me..
A GOOD CHOCOLATE MINT PLANT ACTUALLY DOES TASTE LIKE CHOCOLATE!!! DEFINITELY GET ANOTHER VARIETY OF IT FROM SOMEWHERE ELSE
Tip: If you are buying a starter pla t from a nursery or store, pluck a leaf and try a small bite. I always do this to ensure I'm going to like the flavor of a new herb I try to grow :).
Dr OBALA Healing Home on UA-cam have the treatment, it works for me..
Ive always got herbs going here on the mountain. More every year. Love you videos. Im very near the Continental Divide here at High Divide, Montana
Dr OBALA Healing Home on UA-cam have the treatment, it works for me
Just the content I was looking for. So relaxing and healing.
Dr OBALA Healing Home on UA-cam have the treatment, it works for me
Perfect timing. I'm starting to harvest this week. Thanks.
i have already harvested a lot. they are on their way out; it feels like an early winter here. boo hoo. (or an early fall!) ha ha
@@mchrysogelos7623 we are having an early fall and looks to be a cold long winter.
Dr OBALA Healing Home on UA-cam have the treatment, it works for me .
Thanks! Would love to see a video on your most recommended herbs to grow and what to use them for :)
Thank you so much, I have been doing it all wrong. Great video xx
wow, I feel super confident to dry my herbs now, thank you!
Dr OBALA Healing Home on UA-cam have the treatment, it works for me.
I used my lemon balm this year for tea and infused oil which i recently used to make salve.
Dr OBALA Healing Home on UA-cam have the treatment, it works for me .
As always, Melissa, great info & you are looking so beautiful. Thanks and God bless you and your family.
Dr OBALA Healing Home on UA-cam have the treatment, it works for me..
I like to just grab some fresh peppermint for tea.
It tastes much better than when it's dried. 5-6 medium to large leaves and it's just so good.
If you grow it in a container inside or just outside your front door, it's quite convenient as well.
Lemon balm tea is delicious too
I grew Peppermint for many years, backyard, Fresh Mint is Wonderful
Fantastic information! Thanks Melissa! I really appreciated the fact that you showed the plants up close as you chose what to cut and the manner in which you cut them. That was very helpful. I picked up a lot of great tips in this video.
Always enjoy your vids and find them informative, educational. Even though not subscribed it's always a pleasure. What part of the state are you guys in? Just curious as the cost of living and taxes are so high that it's nice to see someone with a little land and connecting with it instead of the concrete jungle. I'm old enough to remember many small farms that got taxed out for so called progress. Much of the state was so beautiful but was lost to commercialization and is missed.You mentioned your dad was 84 and still vibrant, you caught him unloading bale's of hay. I smiled, may you and your family be blessed with a long life.
We're in Western Washington and I'm glad you enjoy the videos 😊
Some great tips 👌 I planted pretty many herbs 🌿 this year, mainly for medicinal use!
Dr OBALA Healing Home on UA-cam have the treatment, it works for me..
I planted a ton of herbs, for the bees, for companion planting, and because I want to harvest my own, but, I had no clue how to and didn’t harvest any, no I’ve no excuse, thanks for the video!
Great video
Dr OBALA Healing Home on UA-cam have the treatment, it works for me..
Paper bags also pull moisture out of the herbs, so this is a great method!
I love that you give several options to dry herbs! Thanks 😊
Great video. At the moment I’m trying dry witch hazel bark to use later. I already made a decoction to use now and give some away, but I didn’t want to waste what I had left over. I got this accidentally when my husband was clipping some branches on the trail in our woods and it caught my eye. I wasn’t about to waste a good branch even though it was only October. My first decoction seems very good and I want to keep the rest for later use. The bark is thin because I used a potato peeler to strip it off the twigs. I couldn’t find a brown paper bag, so I thought of a clean cardboard box. I hope that will work. 😊
I learned so much after failing badly trying this last year. Thank you so much!
Thank you very much for all your information. God bless you
Thank you Melissa
Excellent video ! Thank you so much
Great video... very thorough.
Thank you Melissa. For years I have hung my herbs in the kitchen window and only half the time do I get good results. Now I know...too much sunlight, not enough air flow. Very informative video. Great job!
Pray the pain continues to decrease and healing is quick
Excellent information. I would love to see your processing of the herbs to make tinctures.
Nesco is the best brand in my opinion.
Dr OBALA Healing Home on UA-cam have the treatment, it works for me.
great tips, I dry my herbs and seeds in paper lunch bags and set them in my hot car to dry, i just label the bag, and I'm already outside when I deadhead my plants, kind weird but it works, so my seeds don't get moldy
it works because I'm not driving my car everyday anymore, I just shake the bag around so it dries evenly
Julia, when I moved to New Mexico from Wisconsin a few years ago, I was delighted to find I could dry fruits in my car !
@@cathleen537 Good news Bad news.. LOL
Dr OBALA Healing Home on UA-cam have the treatment, it works for me .
Thank you I just planted chamomile for next year!!
Dr OBALA Healing Home on UA-cam have the treatment, it works for me...
I found that rubber bands work well when tying the herbs together and it can easily be hung on a rack or hook.
I spread mine out on fly (window) screen. For next year, I will have a floor to ceiling rack so it doesn't take up so much space.
Dr OBALA Healing Home on UA-cam have the treatment, it works for me...
I dry my herbs in a flat basket or tray (Basket type). They dry fairly quick as I am in a dry climate.
So much useable info.. Thanks.
Basically... whatever I WAS doing... Don't do that! LOL. 🌱🌼🐝
Dr OBALA Healing Home on UA-cam have the treatment, it works for me..
I really have problems drying my sunflowers. I really like your idea of using that large hardware cloth. But how do you keep the insects off of your sunflower heads? I finally gave up and just put my sunflower heads in a brown paper bag and put them in the refrigerator. Any suggestions?
Dr OBALA Healing Home on UA-cam have the treatment, it works for me
Do you harvest any of your strawberry leaves for tea? I love raspberry leaf tea and will harvest just about any herb I can use for tea. I didn't know about not crushing the leaves, but like you I don't have time to pick each one off the stem. I harvest tons of herbs and ones I can't grow right now all come crushed so I'll just do it the fastest way right now. Maybe I'll experiment and see if peppermint changes with or with out crushing.
Want to plant more herbs for sure. Dill, cilantro, Tai basil and some others. Also make cayenne pepper powder, jalapeno pepper powder, bay leaves and file which is powdered bay leaves. Just wish I knew more about foraging for wild herbs and medicinals. You have a great screen presence and a wonderful voice for videos. Great delivery.
Dr OBALA Healing Home on UA-cam have the treatment, it works for me .
Is that why farmers get up so early???😍😍😍
Dr OBALA Healing Home on UA-cam have the treatment, it works for me.
I use a metal cloths rack to hang mine
Dr OBALA Healing Home on UA-cam have the treatment, it works for me .
This is such a vital and useful tip! This is what will make your medicinal and tea making effective!
Melissa, can you please make a video showing how to use the dehydrater…I just ordered the one you have listed on your video.
Dr OBALA Healing Home on UA-cam have the treatment, it works for me..
Best channel ty♥️♥️♥️
Dr OBALA Healing Home on UA-cam have the treatment, it works for me
Absolutely breathtakingly beautiful awesome
Dr OBALA Healing Home on UA-cam have the treatment, it works for me.
Very pretty lady and very smart as well
Dr OBALA Healing Home on UA-cam have the treatment, it works for me..
Sometimes I will put the herbs on a large pan in the oven overnight with just the light on- it might take a couple days but I can easily remove the pan whenever I need the oven.
Bad news is, I think you got some bunk chocolate mint- Good news is, theres hope! haha. I have totally had chocolate mint that had cocoa overtones. Incredibly beautiful.
thanks ive only grew herbs for the pollinators never used -im going be hanging this season
The chocolate mint I grow smells and tastes like Andes chocolate mint candies! It’s really strong for some reason!
I thought the course was free, but all I have found has to be bought.
I set my herbs on anything that has air flow, turn a light fan on them, for air flow, give it a few weeks and they are dry.
Correction etc.I had no problems with them.I store up on brown paper lunch bags large and small .Thanks for sharing. The hibiscus flower did not dry in the brown paper bag. I like to save them until I get a lot to grind for powder.If anyone had success with drying the hibiscus flowers please share.
Thanks Melissa! Perfect timing! This is my first time drying mint. I grew several kinds of mint this year. I actually hung them to dry today. It’s good to know that I need to store the leaves whole and crush when ready to use. Loving your channel. Just found you a week ago. I want to grow some garlic. How deep does it need to be planted this fall to harvest next year? Thank you very much.
Happy Harvesting!
Dr OBALA Healing Home on UA-cam have the treatment, it works for me...
I really prefer just the dried flowers for lemon balm... The leaves have kind of a bitter after-taste I'm not a fan of (in tea at least). I kind of wait until right before they open to bloom (just so don't have to fend off too many bees).
Dr OBALA Healing Home on UA-cam have the treatment, it works for me..
I wrap herbs in brown paper bags m set outside.
Also cabbage and broccoli leaves. When dry I grind them into powder for soups.
If I air dry them will dust or mold get on them? should you wash them off when you harvest them? Pollen or dust can get on them from being in the garden.
Dr OBALA Healing Home on UA-cam have the treatment, it works for me.
Yes try another chocolate mint the one I have also has a slight chocolate flavor.
Learning so much from you...thank you for sharing
looking at the 12 foot × 4 foot bed of peppermint and the stuffed 1/2 gallon jar of crushed dried leaves that barely made a dent in it. I have no idea where we would put jars full of whole leaves. Maybe this next batch i do I will have to keep some whole. I just dont have alot of storage space is my problem.
Dr OBALA Healing Home on UA-cam have the treatment, it works for me..
Wonderful video. Answered all my questions. Thank you. Also your herb garden is dreamy. Do you make your own tea?? I would love to make fresh tea ♥️
Everyone is talking herbs. But what really cought my eye was the weck jar. How do you feel about using them an what do you use them for. Do you have a video on using them.
Dr OBALA Healing Home on UA-cam have the treatment, it works for me...
So excited to put these tips to use next year when I get to start my herb garden. Thanks so much!
Thank you! I use the methods you shared to harvest and dry my comfrey this morning. I will make salves with them. I noticed that we do not wash the herbs/ flowers in these methods? :D THANK YOU!
Dr OBALA Healing Home on UA-cam have the treatment, it works for me
Hi. Melissa. I wanted to find out more information about your herbal class. I am very interested in learning more about the use of herbs as an alternative to some pharmaceuticals (hope I spelled that right)
Dew... That's funny. Southern Colorado, no such thing as dew. I got mint and oregano this year but couldn't get anything else to germinate. But this is my first year on this property.
Dr OBALA Healing Home on UA-cam have the treatment, it works for me...
Hi, I enjoyed the video. I find that chamomile often has tiny critter in the flowers. How do you deal with these? Do you ever wash the herbs prior to drying?
We'd just had a rain, I do rinse of I see bugs or we haven't had rain the night before
Dr OBALA Healing Home on UA-cam have the treatment, it works for me...
Can I pick my herbs before dusk as the sun is setting? Would that contain the same properties as it would in the morning harvest?
Dr OBALA Healing Home on UA-cam have the treatment, it works for me.
Thanks for sharing 🙏🏼💚✨💪🏼😁🌹🐝💝
Dr OBALA Healing Home on UA-cam have the treatment, it works for me !