It is known that mint has a considerable number of beneficial properties, due to which it is often used in folk therapy for many diseases. The plant is also used in the creation of many culinary dishes to make them more tasty and aromatic. It is recommended that you familiarize yourself with how to dry mint in order to use the greens not only in the spring, but also in the winter.
Features of drying mint
To properly dry the collected greens, it is recommended that you familiarize yourself with the features of this process.
There are six important rules to follow when harvesting mint for tea or culinary purposes:
- You cannot collect herbs near industrial enterprises or roadways. This plant contains many trace elements that can harm humans. Also, the taste is much worse than that of mint grown in the garden.
- It is not recommended to pick young bushes for drying, as they are not yet ripe. Unripe greens have fewer beneficial properties and do not have a rich aroma.
- When harvesting, choose only those greens that have already bloomed. Before flowering, large mint leaves are collected, as they contain more essential oils.
- When cutting mint bushes with whole stems, they are cut by only a third, not completely. Thanks to this, after some time, new stems will appear at the cut sites, which in the future will also be cut and dried.
- Plants are collected only in sunny and dry weather during the day or after sunset. In the morning, there is dew on the surface of the leaves, which causes the leaves to darken and deteriorate during the drying process.
- When pruning, all leaves are carefully inspected in order to immediately weed out damaged material.
When to collect mint for drying
Before you start drying mint leaves, it is recommended to determine the optimal time for collecting them. If you collect mint at the wrong time, the likelihood of damage to the collected plants increases several times. Also, specimens that are too young cannot be used in cooking, as they are less fragrant.
It is necessary to start collecting when all the bushes are maximally filled with useful microelements and essential oils. This moment comes when the flowers appear. Often mint bushes begin to bloom in mid-summer and fade in the second half of August.That is why gardeners advise collecting during these months. However, there are early varieties of mint that ripen several months earlier.
In this case, you will have to postpone the work to the end of spring and the first half of summer.
The harvest harvested on time is used for medicinal purposes and cooking. Mint leaves are used as a flavoring additive to improve the taste of dishes.
Preparing mint
Before you start drying the collected mint leaves and storing them further, you need to properly prepare the greens.
After collecting any plant, it is washed. Therefore, all cut mint is washed in cold or heated water. This must be done carefully so as not to accidentally damage the plant, since any mechanical defects reduce the shelf life. When all the branches are washed, they are completely wiped with a towel or special paper napkins. Then all the wiped sheets are laid out on a small piece of cloth until they are completely dried.
To speed up drying, the plants are periodically wiped with a cloth or heated with a hairdryer.
All dried leaves are laid out in a row on a flat surface and carefully examined. If there are dark spots or damage on the surface of the leaves, it is better to get rid of them immediately.
Drying the plant
There are various methods used when drying mint stems at home. It is recommended to familiarize yourself with the features of each of them.
On the street
Most often, drying is done outside under the sun's rays. Using this method, all plants are distributed into several small bunches. Then they are carefully tied with threads, laid out on a flat surface or hung on ropes.Experienced gardeners advise drying mint in shaded areas to prevent the leaves from deteriorating.
In the oven
Some people prefer to carry out the procedure not on the street, but in ovens. The main advantage of this method is its speed, since the branches are dried using this method in literally 20-30 minutes. First, the oven is preheated to 70 degrees, after which a tray with leaves is placed in it. The readiness of the plants is checked every 5-7 minutes. If you don't check the mint periodically, it will dry out and have to be thrown away.
How to store dried mint
To be able to add aromatic dried mint leaves to various dishes in winter, you should familiarize yourself with the peculiarities of their storage.
Mint is stored for the longest time in sealed containers that will not allow moisture to enter.
Therefore, food containers or glass jars are used for this. Some people use vacuum-sealed plastic bags.
Containers of dried herbs should be checked periodically to ensure there is no moisture. If the inside of the leaves is wet, you will have to dry them again and place them in other storage containers.
Conclusion
Housewives often prepare dried mint to use in winter. It is recommended to familiarize yourself in advance with the peculiarities of collecting mint leaves and drying them.
