By Elizabeth Warburton-Smith
August is the time of year when we usually have lots and lots of herbs in our garden. Basils, parsley, thyme, mint, marjoram, and many other herbs are going strong and they taste and smell so good.
You can harvest your herbs anytime the plant has enough leaves to share with you and still keep enough to photosynthesize. Simply cut off what you want to use and watch it grow back, even thicker. Harvesting your herbs does double duty: allowing you to enjoy fresh flavors while keeping your herb plants healthy through the process of pruning. Always cut off any flowers you see because when a plant puts off flowers, its instinctually getting ready to regenerate itself for seasons to come through seed production. But the energy of the plant goes to the flowers and seeds, not the leaves, which is what we use for our recipes. So prune, prune, prune, even if you need to compost the excess because you already have too much thyme.
One of my favorite ways to enjoy herbs is in “spa water” which is like a light herbed ice tea. Just take any of your favorite herbs, rinse well, and drop into a pitcher of ice water for a refreshing twist. I think mint and basil are amazing together.
Now is the time to think about planting out cilantro too. We cannot truly plant a “salsa garden” in the summer heat, exactly when tomatoes and chilis thrive, because unfortunately, cilantro does not. Cilantro will do great when the weather starts to cool off though.
So let’s talk about drying so you can enjoy all your herbs throughout the year instead of just during their growing season. Drying is actually one of the easiest and best ways to preserve your herbs. Cut your herbs in the morning, before the heat of the day stresses them, and only use the healthiest cuttings you can find. Rinse them well and then pat dry with paper towels. Lay them out in a thin layer on dry paper towels on a cookie sheet in a window. Be sure to maintain air flow, do not cover them. You can also use a solar dehydrator which is a mesh bag that you can hang from a hook on your porch, keeping bugs off while still allowing air circulation. An electric food dehydrator with built in fan and heat can do the job much more quickly. Herbs are ready when they are completely dried, crispy and no longer flexible. You may want to strip the leaves from any tough stems at this point.
Store dried herbs in airtight jars away from sunlight.
Elizabeth Warburton-Smith is the founder of the Rita Ranch Community Garden inspiring others to grow organic food. Elizabeth and her husband Chef Greg have recently opened Wrapido, a mobile food business selling amazing grilled chicken wraps and signature lemonades highlighting organic and local ingredients. Gardening tutorial videos: https://www.youtube.com/c/RitaGardens Contact Elizabeth: WeLoveToGrow@gmail.com.
