Collection of mint herbs: how to harvest and store

What is the correct collection of mint

Like any fragrant herb, you want to keep mint until winter days and use it in all kinds of healing procedures. As a rule, it is dried to prevent rotting and mold on raw materials. With improper preparation, harvesting or even drying, the number of preserved plant properties can be reduced.

The correct collection of herbs is called the collection, which, after long-term storage in any form, will retain its healing properties and will be useful throughout the whole year. Many herbs, like mint, require a special approach for the preparation and processing of raw materials. It requires careful selection of the place and time for harvesting herbs for the winter, as well as special knowledge about further methods for proper drying and storage of the collected plants.

Video “How to collect mint”

Practical advice on how to properly collect mint for further drying.

When to start

Many may wonder: when to harvest mint? The answer is simple, in the first summer months, when mint is actively growing and starting to bloom. During this period, people actively begin to collect mint. It is important to follow the right moment of flowering and choose the optimal collection method according to the individual choice of each.

The collection depends only on the purpose and parts of the plant that you want to collect. To obtain a menthol extract, a period of full flowering is suitable. It is this time that the plant is maximally filled with its aroma and essential extract. To dry the plant almost entirely (with stems), the preparations begin before flowering (the appearance of buds).

After the start of flowering, you need not only to go to collect mint in any place where it grows, but also to know some rules. Due to which, it is possible to preserve the taste, and, most importantly, all the medicinal properties after the collection and processing of the plant. After all, not following the rules can lead to unpleasant consequences, the result of which is the unpleasant smell of mint collection.

How to collect mint

So, let’s consider where and how best to collect mint to get the maximum benefit from it in the future.

1. Do not collect mint near roads or heavily polluted air, this spoils not only the atmosphere, but also the healing flower that breathed all this. He will no longer have his healing, but on the contrary will only bring harm. It is better if you find a beautiful mint field far outside the city and collect it there, the time spent searching will bring more benefits in the future than hasty harvesting within the city.
2. Too young mint does not have healing properties, its collection is useless. After drying, its properties will no longer be curative. All this is due to the fact that not yet fully saturated mint gives a different effect from very young plants and those growing during the flowering period.
3. Cut off the stem near the ground, but do not cut off. Breaking it off, the stem is destroyed, and the plant will recover its strength for a long time. Cut the plant should be a third of the length. This will facilitate rapid further regrowth and the possible collection of additional crops this season.

1. It is necessary to choose only healthy plants. Dispose of faded, white and damaged immediately. They won’t do you any good.
2. Choose a sunny day for a campaign for harvesting medicinal herbs. It is better if this happens in dry and sunny weather. You do not need to go for mint immediately after rain or during morning dew, before it has time to dry, the plant may rot.
3. Bunches of collected herbs are hidden from the sun. The plant wilts very quickly and can be wrapped in a damp cloth to keep it looking fresh and to avoid quick drying and curling of the leaves. After extracting the long-awaited mint with stems, it should be thoroughly washed and dried in a shady, ventilated room in small bunches in a suspended state.

The bundles should not be dense or large, this is necessary for good air permeability and protection from further decay. Leaves should be laid out on a thin layer of paper, newspaper or cloth. They need to be turned over from time to time. In no case should drying be accelerated by heating in the oven. All useful properties will disappear along with the aroma.

Within a week, the mint will dry on its own. You can check its readiness by hearing the crunch when the stem breaks or the fragility of the leaves rubbed well in the hands. For convenience, mint can be crushed and put in a closed container and a dark place. Shelf life is not more than a year. Mint leaves can also be frozen. Just wash the mint, pat dry and wrap in foil. Thus, in the freezer, it will retain its properties no worse than dried.

Video “Tips for picking longleaf mint”

Video recommendations for a step-by-step process of collecting and preparing for drying long-leaved mint.