For beauty and health: 5 plants that need to be harvested and dried before the end of summer
Many summer residents collect and dry medicinal herbs at the end of summer in order to brew delicious and healthy tea in winter, add aromatic seasoning to their favorite dishes or use it for skin and hair care. We tell you about the top 5 best plants and how to properly collect and store them.
Do not miss the moment to collect linden flowers before it has faded. Linden perfectly helps with colds, strengthens the immune system, has anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties and removes toxins from the body. Linden can be collected with a bract, which is located next to the peduncle, because this part of the plant contains many useful substances.
You can cut flowers with ordinary scissors or a small pruner, and then spread them out on a tray, paper or newspaper for drying. Arrange the flowers in a dry, ventilated place where the sun's rays do not fall and mix periodically. After three or four days, the flowers can be placed in a glass jar or in a paper bag.
Ivan tea has 6 times more vitamin C than lemons, as well as a large amount of organic acids, iron, copper and manganese. But ivan-tea is collected not only for medicinal purposes for brewing, it is also used as a seasoning for salads or cereals, and the leaves are fried and stewed. However, for these purposes, young upper leaves are harvested for food even before flowering, later they acquire bitterness. For herbal tea, the upper part of the plant is collected, along with leaves and flowers that easily break off.
Then the leaves of ivan-tea should be transferred to a glass container or plastic container, pressed with your hands and a suitable press, covered with a damp towel and left for another day for fermentation at a temperature of about 25 degrees. (the higher the temperature, the faster the fermentation will take place).
When the process is completed, a pleasant, sweet smell will appear. The leaves should be placed on a baking sheet and dried in the oven for about 40 minutes at a temperature of 100-150 degrees. When the leaves cool down, they need to be siphoned in a storage container.
St. John's wort is used for various ailments, as well as as nourishing masks and balms. It is also added to herbal preparations, because the plant helps with diseases of the gastrointestinal tract and removes toxins from the body well. The upper part of the plant must be collected during the flowering period, cutting with scissors along with flowers and leaves. St. John's wort, like any herb, should be dried in a dark, ventilated place for several days.
Chamomile flowers are widely used for medicinal and cosmetic purposes, and chamomile also helps with insomnia and anxiety.
For blanks, only flowers are collected and laid out in a thin layer in ventilated places in the shade on paper or a baking sheet. It will take about a week to completely dry. If you rub the flower between your fingers, dust should appear. This means that the plant has dried up enough. Then it will remain to pour the chamomile into a paper bag or a cloth bag.
Black currant leaves have a lot of useful properties and an unusual, bright aroma, so they are also used in dried form as an additive in tea. The leaves are used for medicinal purposes to stop bleeding, eliminate toxins, remove puffiness and general cleansing of the body. You can collect the leaves after you have harvested the black currant berries. Cut off healthy, green leaves, and then dry them during the day in a dry, dark place.
The dried leaves must be collected in small bundles of 8-10 pieces and carefully twisted into sausages. Then they must be left in an open container for another 12 hours. When the raw materials are ready, the sausages should be finely chopped with a knife and left in the oven at a temperature of about 100 degrees for about 1 hour.
Marigold flowers can be used not only as gargles for the throat. Calendula improves heart function, helps to normalize blood pressure and has a beneficial effect on the nervous system. Also, the plant can be added to soups for refueling at the rate of 1 tsp. per serving of soup. The blossoming strong flowers are cut together with the stem in dry sunny weather, preferably closer to lunch, so that the dew has time to come off the plants.
The drying place should be warm, dry, well ventilated and protected from sunlight. In the first three days, the buds need to be turned over once a day. The whole process takes about 10 days, after which the calendula can be placed in a small cardboard box or in a jar of dark glass.