How to store and dry herbs the best way....

[Hattie the Hen]

Personally I am against using bleach on the herbs you are going to dry! WHY? -- because if it's killing BAD bacteria is also killing GOOD bacteria......!! The very reason many of us use herbs (besides just the good taste they impart) is that they are in themselves anti-bacterial!

In my opinion, I think we are going far too far in the cleanliness stakes & breeding a generation of children with low immunity levels. I can remember a time when I travelled a lot when it was suggested to put a small amount of bleach in water to clean fruit etc. It was before we knew just what harm it does to our environment. I have tried to eliminate it from my cleaning cupboard, as have a lot of my friends. :happy_flower

To be positive; if you pound up a mixture of herbs like rosemary, thyme sage & throw in the skins of lemons,oranges etc, add a bottle of vinegar -- leave this to infuse somewhere sunny For a week. You can use this to wipe down surfaces in the kitchen. To clean stubborn dirt use this in conjunction with bicarbonate of soda & hot water.

Hope this helps & I apologise if I have offended anyone! :rainbow-sun

:rose Hattie :rose

 

[karanleaf]

Hattie that is a wonderful soluition mixture.

And I for one agree with you on the

Hattie : we are going far too far in the cleanliness stakes & breeding a generation of children with low immunity levels

That is also another reason to not take antibotics everytime you get the sniffles Your body needs to build up it's own defenses. opps sorry kinda got off track there. Goodness I apploiges.

I love the herb drying hints I for one would skip the bleach also. I have a dehydrator has anyone dried herbs in those? I do peppers and fruit, some time meat jerky

Thanks for the hints all of you

:happy_flower Karan

 

[vfem]

I no doubt agree... I only use bleach for my whites in the wash... other then that is has no uses in this house. I have organic cleaner I pick up at Target.

I do like your vinegar recipe better with the lemons!!!!!

 

[blue skys]

If you get the ac filters, be sure to get the ones with NO fiber glass!!! your mouth and tummy would itch and itch and itch!! , but seriously, it would be bad.

I always clean with vinegar, floors, toilets, windows, I add it to my laundry for extra dirty loads - It cleans and diodorizes ( can't figure out how to spell that for the life of me ) No bleach in my house! (My white are a little dingy, but I don't mind, we can only tell when we get new undies ) Just had to chime in

 

[Hattie the Hen]

Hi blueskies

I have a tip for dingy undies.....!!!

Save your lemon skins in a bag in the freezer until you have a dozen or more then cover them with plenty of water & boil until they are cooked through, strain thoroughly & cool a bit. Then put your "dingies" in there to soak overnight. The next day hang the stuff out to dry in strong sunshine -- you must not rinse again in fresh water as it is the reaction between the lemon water & the sunlight which does the job. I believe it also works with white vinegar but personally I'd far rather my undies smelt lemony.........!!

Hope this solves your little "problem"


:rose Hattie :rose

 

[blue skys]

Hi blueskies

I have a tip for dingy undies.....!!!

Save your lemon skins in a bag in the freezer until you have a dozen or more then cover them with plenty of water & boil until they are cooked through, strain thoroughly & cool a bit. Then put your "dingies" in there to soak overnight. The next day hang the stuff out to dry in strong sunshine -- you must not rinse again in fresh water as it is the reaction between the lemon water & the sunlight which does the job. I believe it also works with white vinegar but personally I'd far rather my undies smelt lemony.........!!

Hope this solves your little "problem"


:rose Hattie :rose

Thanks for the tip, I used to put lemon juice on my hair in the summer time at the beach for natural highlights. Same principle I reckon!

Thanks again!!

edited to correct which principle is was (not principal)

 

[vfem]

Its about that time! I am overwhelmed with fresh herbs, but my basil keeps trying to flower to the point I can NOT keep up picking the buds off any longer. I'm harvesting leaves tonight to start blanching, cooling and drying on filter.

I am skipping the bleach water part, that is NOT cool with me... but all the rest I am doing.

I have thyme, sage, 2 kinds of basil, parsley and chives I want to do this with.

I'm hoping to have enough for us for a year or so, plus enough to package and sell through my store.

Question for anyone who may know. I bought my Thai Basil and Sage plants as 'certified organic' from the nursery. I DO NOT use pesticides on my plants. I had a simple soap solution I made I used on some plants in my garden, but none-the-less never on my herbs. I've had some caterpillars munching... but nothing I couldn't pick off by hand (or hatch some butterflies in the house for the daughter from).

Anyways, the question being... could I list the dried herbs that ARE certified organic plants as certified organic dried herbs?! Or is it best I just say I don't use pesticides on the plant?

I guess I can just 'photo' the little tags that came with the plants I kept as markers on the herbs. Then they could see that!?

I don't know... either way, I am going to do this tonight and through the weekend. (I'm not buying like 5 filters to do them all at once) I will post how everything came out.. maybe some step by step pictures.

I really like the idea of this technique.

 

[bid]

Check this link on organic certification vfem. http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/fletcher/programs/ncorganic/

 

[vfem]

Yeah, I'm afraid that's what I thought... even though I go organic I am not going to certify my home garden. Just stating I go pesticide free and do not use chemical fertilizers should be enough.