Mint harvesting - secrets of drying and storage

The beneficial properties of mint are known to people from ancient times.

This spicy plant was added to food, used to treat many diseases; its peculiar, pleasant smell was used by many generations of housewives for flavoring the air in residential premises.

Now mint, in the family of which there are more than three hundred species and which grows almost everywhere where people live (with the exception of deserts and northern latitudes), is actively used in cooking, herbal medicine and traditional medicine.

Since it is needed at any time of the year, and, with the maximum content of useful qualities, it is important to properly assemble and dry it.

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What plants are suitable for drying?

To mint, collected by you, was not just a dry, useless grass, but a real repository of the best culinary and medicinal properties, you should follow a few important rules when collecting it:

1. It is not necessary to collect plants near roads and industrial enterprises, if in addition to aroma and pleasant taste sensations you do not want to get into the load impurities of any substances harmful to health.

2. It is not suitable for collecting young mint, because it does not retain the aroma and healing properties, and also dries out significantly during the drying process.

3.If you want to dry the leaves with the stems, you need to wait for the full bloom of the plants. Only leaves can be collected before flowering, but after the inflorescence is set. The highest content of essential oil is in the mature plant. During the flowering mint becomes the most fragrant.

4. Mint should be cut to one third of the length of the main stem. In this case, the plant will be able to grow back, and you will receive another additional crop or even two during the season.

5. It is important to start the collection in dry weather, as well as after the dew disappears, otherwise the mint will not remain green and after drying it may become brown.

6. For drying, you need to take only high-quality material: throw away damaged and diseased plants immediately.

Dry mint correctly

And then the mint is collected, washed from dust in cold running water and dried thoroughly for several hours in the shade on paper towels (or in a centrifuge, if there is one in your household). After that, you can proceed to the main drying.

If you collected leaves with stems, you can make small loose bunches of them to ensure free access of air to each plant, and not to tie them tight.

In this case, mint tufts are suspended on specially prepared wooden poles or ropes.

Individual leaves are laid out in a thin layer on paper or on a piece of natural fabric. Maybe somewhere in the closet in the room.

A loft, porch, balcony or shed are also suitable, but in any case it is necessary to provide shade and good ventilation. Places where dust often gets easily are also best avoided.

High humidity in the room is also unacceptable, otherwise raw materials may rot. For better drying of lying leaves, they should be agitated or turned over from time to time.

Comfortable temperature for mint drying is from 20 to 30 degrees Celsius.

By the way if the purpose of mint preparation is to make herbal tea, you can dry several plants together. So it turns out an interesting, fragrant and useful collection.

For example, mint leaves (a small amount) along with leaves of raspberry, currant and cherry.

In this case, similar drying conditions are observed.

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Is accelerated drying acceptable?

Vegetables and fruits that are harvested for the winter are often dried at home in ovens or electric dryers, which today can be purchased at almost any electrical appliance store. But can herbs and, in particular, mint be dried in this way?

In principle, it is possible, but only under the only condition: if you ensure a temperature not higher than 30 degrees. Higher rates on the thermometer "kill" the taste, aroma and medicinal properties of the plant.

Since the mint is collected mainly from the end of July to the end of August, the necessary temperature conditions for its drying are provided by nature. So, conditionally accelerated drying only justifies itself in rainy summer.

Dried mint storage

Drying the plant takes about a week. To check whether it is ready for storage, try the leaves to the touch: if they rustle and easily detach from the stem, crumble, it means that the spice can be removed in the prepared container.

To save space, some housewives chop the grass or even grind it into powder.

This is allowed, but still it is best to leave this product whole, in leaves and even with stems, so it retains all its unique taste and aroma.

The best places to store spices are glass jars with ground lids or bags of natural fabric (cotton or flax).

Sealed vessels made of ceramic or wood, vacuum packaging and zip-lock bags are also used, although it is preferable to do without plastic and cellophane, which can absorb essential oils. For the same reason, it is not recommended to use paper or any cardboard containers.

Properly packed mint store in a dark and dry place, away from heating appliances.

If the mint is stale, but it is a pity to throw it away, you can add it to the bath water. It is pleasant and useful for the skin.

Alternative to dried mint?

Recently, when many owners in the house have freezers, various products are trying to freeze, because in the case of a quick freeze so you can perfectly keep their color, taste and aromatic properties.

Suitable for freezing and mint. To do this, take fresh cut plants, washed in cold running water and well dried.

They are divided into "portion" bundles, wrapped in aluminum foil and sent to the freezer.

It should be remembered that the mint can both give and absorb different odors, so you need to think carefully about its proximity to other products.

And yet, after weighing all the pros and cons of this method, agree that the old, traditional way of drying and storing mint will never let you down.

If you carefully thought out the whole process and did everything right.

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So let's summarize:

• The best time to make mint: July-August, the period of the stitching of the buds and flowering;
  
• necessary collection conditions: dry weather, middle of the day, favorable environmental conditions;
  
• drying conditions: 20-30 degrees Celsius, shaded place, airing;
  
• better storage conditions: dark place, well-closed glass container or cloth bag.

Observing these conditions, you can at any time of the year enjoy fragrant and healthy mint tea, cook a tasty dish or put your health in order.

Watch the video: How to Dry Mint and Make Mint Tea (December 2024).