Читать книгу Your Herb Garden - Barbara Segall - Страница 19

MAKING A HERB DRYING FRAME

YOU WILL NEED

bradawl

screwdriver

set square

electric or hand drill

hammer

sandpaper

pencil and ruler or tape measure

From spring until autumn one of the main tasks of a herb gardener is managing the harvest of leaves, flowers and seeds. They can all be preserved to keep their flavour, colour and fragrance, ready for you to use in cooking or to make scented presents.

In midwinter most of the basic culinary and cosmetic herbs are dormant or still in, their seed packets. Evergreen herbs, such as thyme and bay, and those that you have potted up to overwinter on your kitchen windowsill, are best used fresh. Don’t bother to cut and dry them now. Leave the main harvest and drying time until late spring and summer.

Many herbs dry well when tied into bunches and hung from shelves or hangers in a dry, dark and well-ventilated shed or loft. However, if you plan to dry large quantities for your own use, to sell or to give as presents, you will need a suitable drying frame to hold the herbs while they dry.

The free-standing frame shown here provides six shelves, but can be adapted to suit individual needs. Give it added height by standing it on a table, for easier access to the lower shelves.