How to dry lemon balm

The content of the article

1 We start harvesting
2 Drying: basic rules and methods
3 Storage
4 Video: harvesting and storage of lemon balm

For lovers of herbal teas, lemon balm is one of the most favorite ingredients. It is valued not only for having a wonderful aroma, but also for its soothing properties. So that the dried lemon balm does not lose the beneficial properties that were in fresh grass, you must be able to dry it correctly. Otherwise, after you dry the grass, it will lose not only benefits, but also its gentle smell.

We start harvesting

First of all, if you want to prepare lemon balm, you need to properly collect it. If you miss this stage, then in the future you will not help even the correct preparation.

If you want to use healthy tea with a magical aroma in winter, you need to know all the rules of collection. Melissa is sometimes called lemon mint. You can collect it from May to the very end of summer. For tea, as a rule, harvest leaves of the plant. It is advisable to collect them early so that the lemon balm does not grow. If you do not have time before this point, you will need to pluck the plant with the stem and dry it in the same form. With stems, melissa can also be brewed.

If you are going to gather, take a sickle or a sharpened knife with you. You can’t break it off with your hands. This plant has soft, but surprisingly strong stems. Trying to tear melissa with your hands, you remember it. Some valuable substances will leave the plant. It will lose its appeal.

Experts advise starting the collection after the dew has dried on the swallows. But the heat is also not worth the wait. As a rule, this plant is harvested in 10-11 hours. It is very important to collect it in dry weather. Herbists advise to harvest this fragrant plant on the growing moon. Since, in their opinion, it was during this period that the maximum amount of useful components was concentrated in medicinal herbs.

Harvesting lemon balm can last all summer. At the beginning of the season, young leaves are torn off, which will be used for brewing tea in the winter. Then the whole plant breaks down, which will be conveniently used for the preparation of medicinal infusions. Melissa is growing fast. If you cut the shoot, a new one will grow in its place. The main thing is not to uproot them.

Melissa - medicinal properties and contraindications

Drying: basic rules and methods

When you have correctly collected the raw materials, taking into account all the recommendations, you can begin to dry it. There are several ways to do this:

Air dry.
Dry in the microwave or oven.

Oven
When using the oven, grass can be harvested in a very short time. Cut the plant and spread on a wide baking sheet. The oven should be maintained at a temperature of 40 degrees. During drying, leave the door ajar. The grass should lie down in such conditions for about 2 hours, after which it is laid out in the open air to dry out. To dry the lemon balm in the microwave, just cover it with a cloth and turn on the oven for a couple of minutes.

Note! Herbalists say that to preserve all the beneficial properties, it is best to still dry the herbs in the air, as the benefits are lost in the oven. But, if you do not have time or place, then you can dry it and so on.

Fresh air
To dry lemon balm in the air, you need to find a suitable place, and decompose it. During the drying process, care must be taken to ensure that the grass does not deteriorate. If it will bloom or bloom, you have to throw everything away.

What is the best place to dry lemon balm? It should be warm, dry, ventilated. But the sun should not shine directly on the grass. Melissa should be laid out as spacious as possible.

The grass for drying is laid out on paper. But do not use the newspaper for this, since the paint contains hazardous substances. Grass is laid out on paper as spacious as possible.Melissa should be monitored regularly, turning it over.

It should dry for about 7 days. To understand whether it is possible to clean the grass for storage, squeeze the leaves and try to break the stems. All parts of the plant must be fragile and crumble.

You can dry the melissa in bunches by bandaging about 10 stems together and hanging them down.

Storage

When the collection and drying are performed in accordance with all the rules, you can lay the melissa for storage. To keep it fragrant and healthy, you also need to store it, observing all the requirements.

An ideal option would be a glass container, which tightly closes the lid. In plastic containers it is better not to store it. You can put lemon balm in cloth bags. But at the same time, products with a strong smell should not lie next to it. The room should not be damp or too warm. The melissa should not be exposed to the rays of the sun. If you fulfill all the conditions, it will remain useful and fragrant for up to 2 years.

the benefits and harms of tea with lemon balm