Ingredients:
Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
The leaves of most herbs should be green
and harvested just before the plant
begins to flower.
1 Rinse leaves and stems with cold water
and shake off excess water. Pat
dry
with paper towels and cut off dead -- mushy, or
discolored leaves before
drying.
2 For herbs seeds -- pick when the pods
have changed color but before they
begin
to shatter. Spread the pods on the drying -- dry and rub the pods
trays
between
your palms to release seeds.
3 Always dry herbs at a low temperature
because high temperatures destroy
natural oils.
4 Spread herbs (stem and leaves) loosely on
a tray and dry at 95* to 100*
for
approximately 3 to 5 hours. Herbs with
larger leaves like cilantro will take
longer.
5 It is best to dry herbs separately from
other foods because they don't
take
as long as produce for example. Plus
other foods would add more moisture
thus
the drying times would be increased!
6 Dry herbs on stems. When completely dry -- strip leaves off
and brittle
stems.
7 Do not grind the leaves into a powder
before storing. It is best to grind
into a powder with a mortar and pestle or
crushed in your hands just before
using.
8 Store in tightly-closed containers in a -- dark place. Do not s
cool
paper bags -- because the natural
oils will be absorbed by the paper, which
reduces the potency of the herb.
* Dried herbs have 3 to 4 times the
potency of fresh herbs
* Eight ounces of fresh herbs will yield
about 1 ounce dried
* Dried herbs and spices should keep well
for 6 months to 1 year
|
Preparation:
HERB TEA COMBINATIONS
* spearmint, camomile and blueberry
* dried orange peel and blackberry leaves
* rose hips, orange peel and gingeroot
* camomile, hops and valerian (good as a sedative) |
