Max Drake

Rules of Harvesting

Some General Points

1. Pick only healthy specimens - not dead or uprooted plants.
2. Pick in dry weather
3. Pick with respect - for the environment, and for the plants you are picking
4. Pick in areas that you know are not polluted or sprayed
5. Pick only what the stand will bear. This can be as little as 5% in some areas or as much as 70% if the plants need a cutback.
6. Avoid using plastic bags, especially in hot weather, as plants 'sweat'
7. Pick small herbs and plants which 'bleed' by hand. Use a clean, sharp knife for thicker plants. Do not tear small branches, but cut them cleanly.
8. Respect the law and the Country Code. It is illegal to gather plants without the permission of the landowner - although few people will object to the collection of 'weeds'

Harvesting Times

• Pick herbs and leaves before plant comes into full flower
• Some herbs, such as yarrow (Achillea millefolium) and meadowsweet (Filipendula ulmaria), are best picked in full flower
• Seeds for medicinal use are generally picked while still green
• Roots are usually harvested after the plant has died back
• Barks may be taken from branches or suckers at least two years old, in the early Summer. Peel the bark off branches as soon as possible after collecting.
• Fruits are picked when just ripe. It is usually allowed to pick fruit from public land
• Fungi. The perennial fruiting bodies are picked when growing (usually Autumn or late Summer)

Drying and Storing

General Principles

Remember that dry air dries, while direct heat only cooks. Whole herbs can be hung up in bunches. Large leaves and sliced roots can be threaded on string and hung across the kitchen. Sliced roots can be dried in a low oven. Flowers and seeds can be spread out on a tray and turned over daily.

Tip: tie buches up with natural fibre string that you have pre-soaked. As it dries it will get tighter, thus avoiding bunches that drop all over the kitchen. Tie bunches of seed bearing herbs with the heads in a large paper bag. Tie around the stems and hang upside down, as the plant dries the seeds fall into the bag.

Some More General Points

• If possible, pick clean herbs so you will not have to wash them.
• Store herbs as whole as possible
• Store in a cool dark place and try to avoid fluctuations in temperature
• Check for insects from time to time. Flour weevils are the most destructive. They can be killed without damaging the herb by putting the whoile bag in the freezer for a few days
• Always label clearly with the NAME, DATE, and PLACE COLLECTED. Add any observations or special considerations
• Dried herbs usually keep for one year (one growing season) although roots and barks will keep much longer. Check the condition by taste and smell