How to Dry Peppermint at Home

This plant is cultivated for personal consumption and for industrial purposes. Perennial varieties grow in the South, annual plants in the Far East and Siberia.

Mint cultivation

Most often mint is grown in such countries: Ukraine, Russia, the Baltic states. This plant loves sunny and southern countries. Fertile soil - chernozems with a good level of moisture is more suitable for its cultivation.

Peppermint picking

It is correct to collect this fragrant plant in 1 third of summer, when it has not yet reached the flowering phase. Then in the leaves and stems of mint is the maximum concentration of essential oils. The aroma of the plant is most noticeable on rainy days, when wet, after the sun appears. Under its rays, the leaves evaporate, and a characteristic smell is released.

Important! Harvesting mint stems should occur on time, as soon as the inflorescences begin to blossom.

Cutting leaves must be done before flowering begins, before the formation of flowers on the stems. Collected during this period, they will be as saturated as possible with useful substances.

Do not harvest mint in such cases:

1. Cut leaves in hot weather will not have the desired beneficial properties.
2. Also, do not do this after rain. Such stems and leaves will quickly deteriorate and become unusable.
3. After the appearance of inflorescences, the leaves and stems of mint lose their taste and beneficial properties.
4. Raw materials collected before the buds appear will not have a sufficient concentration of nutrients, in addition, most of them will be lost after drying.

Attention! The best time for picking mint for harvesting is morning or evening. At this time, the leaves of the plant are juicy and fresh.

In dry periods, the collection of raw materials is best done after preliminary watering and complete drying of the moisture.

Proper preparation of mint: dry the plant

Having collected the plant in accordance with all the rules, you still need to know how to dry it properly. The bulk of those involved in the preparation of mint at home, prefer the fermentation of the collected leaves. When the leaf structure is destroyed, fermentation occurs. Bacteria are located on the leaves of the plant, due to which this process occurs. Over time, the shade and aroma of the fermented raw material changes. When its smell has the greatest intensity, go to drying.

To properly prepare mint yourself, you need to know certain rules:

1. To properly dry the stems and leaves - they do not need to be collected in large bunches.
2. A pair of stems must be connected using a rope or thread, and hung in a dry, ventilated and dark place.
3. You can dry the raw materials by laying them out on paper in any convenient place. The main thing is that it is dry and does not have access to direct sunlight.
4. If it is not possible to leave the plants to dry without access to the sun, the bundles can be wrapped in newspapers.
5. If the room where the mint is dried is wet, then it will deteriorate. The recommended drying temperature is around 25 degrees Celsius.

Attention! Sunlight contributes to the loss of dried mint its beneficial properties.

You can harvest mint for herbal preparations. In this case, it is dried along with other components: berries and herbs. If you plan to use it separately, it is better to dry it yourself.

How to prepare raw materials?

Mint should also be collected according to the rules so that it is as useful as possible, but in no case useless, and even more so not harmful.

1. It is contraindicated to collect peppermint on the roads and near industrial enterprises. Otherwise, a lot of toxic and harmful substances will fall into a load of tasty and healthy tea.
2. It is worth refraining from picking young peppermint. When dried, it loses most of its beneficial properties.
3. In the flowering mint, the concentration of essential oils is lost. It should be collected before the appearance of inflorescences.
4. When harvesting, cut the upper third of the stems correctly. As a rule, the plant grows and can be harvested this way several more times.
5. No need to try to procure damaged or "sick" raw materials.

Fresh Peppermint Storage

That's right - to harvest mint along with the stems. Then its taste and aroma are preserved better. It needs to be dried for about 5-7 days. It is easy to check the readiness of raw materials - it is enough, experts say, to rub the leaves with your fingers. At the same time, they must turn into powder. To save space, it is better to store the workpiece in crushed form.

But the best way is storage in its entirety. Keep dried mint in a hermetically sealed container. It should not be stored in plastic and paper bags, as well as cardboard boxes.

Keep dried mint in an appropriate container, you need to away from batteries and other heating devices, in a place where direct sunlight does not fall. Thus, it can be stored for no more than 2 years. Therefore, on containers with mint, it is necessary to indicate the date of procurement.

How to freeze mint?

Today, the most reliable and popular way of harvesting for the winter is freezing. This method allows you to maximize the taste of the products and their beneficial properties. Peppermint can also be stored for a long time in this way.

Before freezing, the raw materials should be washed well with cold water, dried and divided into portions. To protect products in the freezer from absorbing the aroma of mint, it must be stored in an airtight container.

There are several ways to properly freeze mint:

1. Arrange the prepared bundles of mint in small plastic bags and close tightly. In this form, put them in the freezer drawer.
2. Grind the raw materials and put in a plastic food container.
3. Wrap mint in a damp towel and freeze in this way.
4. Freeze crushed mint leaves in an ice container with water.

Video: how to dry mint