Preserving Fresh Herb Plants

By Peter D Vizard

It is great to have fresh herbs at your fingertips for kitchen and medical use. However it has been said, that all things must come to an end and this applies to the seasons, which means the end of your fresh herbs.

To be able to make the best of the herbs all year round, you will want to know how to preserve them so they can still be used during the colder months.

When to Harvest

The best time to harvest your herb plants is just before flowering, which will occur when the weather begins to cool. Harvesting in late summer will give you the best flavor.

You can also harvest during the growing season to create extra growth start your stock. Cut the stems in mid-morning after the morning dew has dried but before the afternoon sun has started to warm them.

Air Drying of Fresh Herbs

Air drying works best with fresh herbs that have lower moisture content like oregano, rosemary and dill. Herbs with higher moisture will dry better using a dehydrator.

To air dry fresh herb plants use the following steps:

1. Cut the stems and remove any unhealthy leaves.

2. Rinse stems with some cool water,

3. Pat dry completely. Important to ensure no mould occurs.

4. Bundle together in batches of four to six stems, and hold them together with a rubber band. Keep in mind that the stems will shrink as they dry so you will need to check them regularly.

5. Store bunches upside down into brown paper bags that have a number of holes punched in them.

6. Tie the bags closed and hang them up in a warm, well aired room

7. Check them every week or two.

8. Once your herbs are sufficiently dried, store in airtight containers.

Keep the containers away from direct sunlight and use within one year.

Using this process for preserving your herbs, you will be able to enjoy the savory aroma and flavor of home grown herbs year round. Your family will be amazed with how your will have fresh herb taste even in the middle of winter!

Would you like the easy steps on having your own Herb Garden? This is only one of many free articles like information on Fresh Herb Plants from http://www.MyIndoorHerbGarden.com.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Peter_D_Vizard

Herb Plants

Turmeric

Turmeric is herbal plant of the ginger family. Turmeric is a native to South Asia, and become the key ingredient for many Malay foods in South Asian recipes. And in non South Asian recipes turmeric is used in dairy products, ice cream, yellow cakes, baked products, biscuits, and others foods.

These herbal plants are growing in this land and forests, especially in teak forests. Many also planted at home; turmeric can grow in low altitude to 2,000 m above sea level. Turmeric is wet trunked plants; grow up to 0.75 m high, with oval-shaped leaves, flowers compound pink or red. Annual herb plants the tuber-shaped main rimpang old yellow or orange light.

Benefits of turmeric

Turmeric is a type of plant medicines that have a lot of benefits such as spices in cooking (especially curry), coloring foods, beverages, textiles and cosmetics and . Other benefits of turmeric are lower blood pressure, asthma drugs, and blood increase, for stomach ache, diarrhea, rheumatism and caecum.

Turmeric can also be used as prevention Alzheimer's disease. Alzheimer's disease is kind of senile diseases commonly occur in people who began to enter the old age. Natural, senility is common to every person because of physical condition of the brain to decrease. It can be slowed, but senescent come with the use of turmeric in curry flavor. Turmeric as a spice in curry that is widely used in many recipes can be felt by the brain to maintain the quality of old age. Evidence is that families are in the Asian countries still having a good memory in old age because they diligently consume curry spices.

turmeric