Harvest Your Herbs in August

Since the natural aromatic oils of garden herbs are most bountiful in August, this is the ideal time for your harvest. You will want to choose a clear, sunny morning, when the dew is gone and the noonday sun cannot rob the plants of their oils.

For an early start you will need to have your tools ready: drying screens, sharp knives, and especially labels. Since half-dried leaves and branches of herbs lose their identity, each variety should be labeled.

If you start with your perennial herbs you should cut about two-thirds of the way down the stalk. Annual herbs, on the other hand, must have enough stalk left so that a second growth may be obtained the same season. If the branches need rinsing, do it quickly, shaking well to dry them as much as possible.

Herbs may be dried outdoors in a shady, protected spot, on ordinary window screens. In order to preserve the color of the leaves and to retain the volatile oils, the air must reach the herbs from all directions. At night it is necessary to take the herbs indoors for protection from dew.

Herbs may also be dried in an attic with cross ventilation, or in a garage with the door open, where temperatures are steady and dust is kept away. A sudden change in weather may call for oven-dry the least desirable method. The oven must not be hot enough to scorch the tender leaves and evaporate the fragrant oils.

A colonial attic with bunches of herbs hung from the rafters is a charming sight. If the attic is airy and not sunny, herbs - particularly catnip - tied in small bunches may be dried successfully in this manner.

Leafy mints and parsley, after being stripped from the stems, may be plunged into boiling water to be wilted, and quickly lifted out with a strainer. Ten minutes of oven-drying should crisp the leaves for rubbing through a sieve into a powder.

Glass jars, properly labeled, are excellent for storing herbs. Be sure that the herbs, whether powdered or in leaf form, are absolutely dry; otherwise they may become moldy.

Roots such as orris (Florentine iris), sweet flag, lovage and angelica should be washed when dug, and split or sliced if roots are large. Dry the roots as you would the foliage herbs. Roots attract insects, so be sure that storage containers are closed tightly.

Dill, anise, caraway, coriander and mustard seed heads should be cut when the seed begins to turn brown. If you have coriander in your garden, remember that the seeds are heavy and may drop before they can be harvested unless you keep ahead of them. A week of drying should be sufficient.

Lavender is at its best when the flowers are half-open, while chamomile should be in full bloom when harvested. These are favorite herb blossoms.

Sage for the turkey, marjoram and thyme for the red meats, lavender for linens, seeds for cookies, thyme leaves wrapped in a handkerchief and dropped into a hot bath—these are a few of the uses for garden herbs. During the harvest your home will be fragrant, and your family will have keen appetites. Make a generous pot of soup with a small bag of herbs in it, so that all may share in the harvest without delay.

by Madeline Corse

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