Only once a year, each of us has the opportunity to assemble the harvest of fresh mint and put this spice for the winter. About how it is done correctly, read further.
For the beneficial properties of this plant, people have known for a long time. Mint is used to treat certain diseases, add to food, prepare delicious drinks, aromatize the air indoors, are used in cosmetology. Since it is possible to prepare this useful and fragrant spice in the summer, it is necessary to adhere to the rules for collecting mint to preserve as much beneficial substances as possible.
Mint harvest rules
How to collect raw materials for drying:
- Highway, industrial enterprises - not the best place to collect mint.
- The young plant is better not to cut, because after drying the fragrance will not be saved. Young mint blends greatly and does not preserve therapeutic properties.
- If you collect mint together with stems and want to put it and put it, then you need to wait until the plant is blocked.
- If you plan to collect and dry only the leaves of mint, then the leaflets can be turned off before the start of flowering, but after the inflorescences are born.
- In mature plants - the most essential oils, which means the flavor will be maintained even after drying the plant.
- Note that during the mint bloom the most fragrant.
- A plant for drying on 1/3 stem (the length of the main stem) is cut. Then you can take a few more yields during the season.
- Collection of raw materials must be carried out only when the dew comes up, with dry weather. If this is not taken into account, then the mint will become brown after drying.
- Patients and damaged leaves for drying are not suitable, they need to immediately disrupt and destroy.
How to dry mint at home
Just cut stems need to immediately remove into the dark room so that they do not fall into them the sun rays, because the sun destructively affects fresh cut mint. The plant may lose part of the essential oils and nutrients.
How to dry mint:
- the raw materials collected must be washed carefully, remove the excess moisture, putting on a clean towel;
- divide the raw materials on small bundles. They should not be dense;
- each bundle tie a thread (linen), but not too tight;
- place the bundles in the dark, well-ventilated room. An ideal place for drying mint is a attic, a veranda or balcony;
- torn mint leaves are dried separately on clean fabric or paper (newspaper and other printed publications - are not suitable);
- from time to time, mint must be moved, to turn the leaves, check the beams;
- cut Mint does not like not only the sun, but also dampness;
- how to determine the mint dried, or is it necessary a little more time? Take a leaf of mint in your hands, squeeze it with the tips of your fingers, if the leaflets were folded with friction, then this means that the mint sucked well.
How to store dry mint
Dried mint can be stored in any glass container. Check that the lid closes tightly. Periodically, you need to open the lid of the cans so that the mint "rides".
Also allowed storage of mint in cotton bags tied with a rope. It is unacceptable to store dry raw materials in packages and polyethylene film, mint loses the aroma and can be spoiled.
It is stored properly dried mint 1-2 years.
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