Starting an Herbal Cabinet: How to Gather and Store




Starting an Herbal Cabinet: How to Gather and Store




Herbs are used for the volatile oils that they hold inside
the parts of the plant. Once you have decided
what type of herbs you want to collect, the next step
is to make a list. There are two ways to acquire herbs: either
grow or buy them. Depending on what your interests are
within the field of Herbology, it is easiest to buy them. But for
some people they are more fun to grow. Either way is okay,
but if you’re looking for harder-to-find herbs or ones that are
not easy to grow, you will have to buy them.
Find a reputable place to shop. There are some shops
that will deceive you by selling you something in place
of the true herb. Many towns have herbal shops or tea
houses where you can acquire some herbs. They are also
easily found in the grocery store.
If you decide to grow them, you can begin them from
seed or use starts. One big perk to growing your own
is that you know they are pure and organic and that no
harsh chemicals have been used on the plants, thus making
the quality of the herb the best.
The next step is to identify which part of the plant
you want to use: the leaves, seeds, roots, or flowers of the
plants. Some parts of a plant may not be best to use in different
situations. So study first.

General Rules About Gathering

Herbs like to be pampered in the growing season by being harvested and trimmed. Don’t over trim your plant, as this could cause the herb not to recuperate easily, producing less of a harvest next time. Harvesting more than half of your plant at any time could kill it. If you’re growing herbs for the leaves, you must pick them before they flower or they mature.
Otherwise the herbs become bitter and can create lanky stems on the plants, causing the plant stems to harden.The tender part of the leaf holds the most volatileoils, making it the strongest part of the plant. Herbs arebest used fresh for the highest potency. If you are not going to use them up quickly, then it is best to dry them. 

It must be done slowly and not over a lot of heat. Too much
heat can make the volatile oils dry up, making the potency
of the plant very low or even worthless.
Gather them in the early morning or late afternoon.
The best way to dry them is to hang them upside down or
spread over a drying rack. Harvest seeds before the pods
open, allowing them to pop open during the process. Or
remove the shell once fully dry; this way will not damage
the seed. Make sure to hang them upside down with a
paper bag around them to catch any seeds.
When gathering the roots, wait until the late fall before
a freeze; by then the foliage on top will have died back.
Don’t gather any of your herbs about a month before the
frost sets in. This gives the plant a chance to become strong and sealed before heading into hibernation. They will
not need any maintenance during the late fall and winter
months. They may stay green but will become dormant
while weathering over the winter. There are some herbs
that will not winter over outside once frost hits.


Storage and Preserving of Herbs    



There are three main ways to store herbs. Each way
has perks and pitfalls, so knowing how you intend to use
the herb will make a big difference.
Fresh herbs are best stored in refrigeration using baggies
or jars; wrap them in a paper towel first. This draws
moisture away from the plant. Change the paper towel
whenever needed. Wetness can be the worst enemy; it
will cause rotting faster because the water becomes colder,
creating a similar effect like frost. Some stemmed herbs
can be stood in a jar with water, but they will only last for
a few days fresh. Remember, if the amount of herbs you
need is measured in a dry form, you must only use half of
that measurement in fresh because of its potency.
Dried herbs can be stored many ways by using paper,
plastic bags, or glass jars, depending on how you will want
to use them in the future. Most often once dried, they are
separated into parts. Leaves are often crushed or ground
and placed in darker containers. They are best if kept out
of the direct sunlight and used up within a six-month
period. The reason is that the volatile oils continue to dry
up making them inert.
Herbs can be dried in a conventional oven on very low
heat and checked often. Some people do use food dehydrators.
They do work better because the heat flows all over the
plant and not just on one side. Some herbs can be kept for

up to a year if handled safely. Freezing herbs is a great way
to ensure that the volatile oil stays fresh but it does cause
damage to the plants’ appearances. Once an herb has been
frozen, it can never be used for anything other than cooking
because the thawing process makes the herbs soft and limp.
Now that you know the basics to herb storage and

gathering, creating an herb cabinet is easy.

***Featured first in Paranormal Underground Magazine April 2013

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