Harvesting and Preserving

Today we are harvesting lemon balm. this video discusses what it is, what it's used for, as well as how to harvest and preserve it.
medicinal benefits of lemon balm
how to preserve lemon balm
#How to use Lemon Balm
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[@mahriaharris8082]

My lady, your video was the BEST!!! I will be looking for you to demonstrate the various ways of how you USE the balm. Thank you sooo much!

[@sirvancealott]

Good vid thankyou! 🙏 💕

[@tonibenedict8051]

The smell of lemon balm is very distinctive...nothing like catnip altho they do look similar.I dry mine in my kitchen...no dehydrator needed

[@GardenJensJourney]

You are correct in the smell. If you don't deal with high humidity, like I do, yes, you can dry them without a dehydrator, by hanging them. Unfortunately, where I live, things will mold before they dry, as there's too much moisture in the air.

[@wendyburston3132]

Hi Jen. I imagine using a dehydrator creates a better product. I've dried my herbs in the kitchen (very slow), furnace room downstairs ( pretty good quality), outside(not bad) and an upstairs backroom. The basement had the best color retaining a nice green look for my Sage. Do you recommend a dehydrator over the natural drying method?

[@GardenJensJourney]

I sure do. I dried some herbs hanging on my porch, when my dehydrator was packed. Let's just say they made great compost material. 😉

[@roccomiller2647]

Haha! This was my exact question… I might need to justify buying a dehydrator hmmm

[@wendyburston3132]

@@roccomiller2647 I just bought one, at the moment it's drying radish leaves as a test. If it works maybe I'll put them in my smoothy. So far though they are not going brittle and it's been over the minimum 4 hour mark.

[@GardenJensJourney]

Wendy, I usually dry things for at least 24 hours, especially with the high humidity in my area. Some people get away with 8 hours or so with leaves and flowers. It takes time to see just how long you need. Since I run mine at a low temp, I don't have to worry about overdoing it.

[@chickadeetle]

Hi--I know this was done a while ago but was wondering, were the leaves washed first to be sure no bugs or dirt?

[@GardenJensJourney]

You can certainly do that. I generally look closely at the plant material I harvest and make a decision based on that. I don't get plant material that's covered by dirt, and any bugs generally fall off as I harvest the stems.

[@chickadeetle]

Thank you, appreciate your prompt response!

[@Ameri1st]

I love your channel and how you explain things so simply. I wish I had grown more herbs! One of our kids gifted us with a dehydrator so I’ll do my lemon balm that way. My leaves don’t look as big as yours though any thoughts on drying in my double basket air fryer. It does have a setting for it. Maybe I’ll just give it a try with a little.of it. And I love your rooster crowing! What’s his name? Thx so much! .

[@GardenJensJourney]

I had two Roostets at the time, Red, and Pretty Boy. 😊 I've never tried drying herbs in an air fryer. I have a six tray dehydrator. You want to do it at a LOW temp. I'm not sure an air fryer would go low enough. You want to dry them at 110°-115°.

[@cbrealtor007]

Why do the leaves turn black right away and can I still dry and use them? How about using them fresh after harvesting? I add them to my water and blend them in my vitamix with lemon Apple cider vinegar lemon grass and ginger.

[@GardenJensJourney]

If your lemon balm leaves are turning black, like they look like there's dirt on them or like a black mold, it's most likely caused by very small bugs. Like aphids, they suck the sap out of the plant and it slowly kills the leaf. Spray these plants with either BT, or neem oil mixtures to get rid of those bugs. @therustedgarden has some great videos on how to mix them up and use them. After a week, you can once again use the plant. As far as using those leaves, I wouldn't as they are unhealthy and don't have the best nutrients. Using healthy leaves is perfect though!

[@cbrealtor007]

@@GardenJensJourney the leaves turned black after harvesting them. The leaves were green when I picked them off the plant

[@GardenJensJourney]

I have no idea then. I haven't had that problem myself. 😕 I'm sorry I can't help you there.

[@IMOO1896]

Did you wash or rinse before preparing for the dehydrator?

[@GardenJensJourney]

I personally do not wash or rinse my herbs before using them in the dehydrator. The reason being that I do not use any chemical sprays of any kind and I handpick anything off that looks questionable, like if there's bird droppings on leaves or stuff like that. Any bugs or anything that are in it will be removed in the dehydrating process because they crawl right out of the herbs during the process. So no, I do not do any of that type of prep work before I use the dehydrator. However if you use sprays and things like that or are really concerned about bugs or things being in your plants then by all means go ahead and rinse them. However, you need to shake off the excess moisture and let them air dry before you put them in the dehydrator. Otherwise you're making the dehydrator work extra hard to dehydrate your product.

[@steampang2559]

Is it normal for the lemon balm to turn brown?

[@GardenJensJourney]

You need to explain what you mean, so I can address your concern correctly. When is it turning brown?

[@CaptainHDY]

What can I do with lemon balm without a dehydrater?

[@GardenJensJourney]

If you have a spot you can hang it so it can dry out thoroughly, that would work.

[@nitabugdw]

What if you dont have a dehydrator

[@GardenJensJourney]

Some people hang them up to dry. I live in a place with high humidity, so it doesn't work for me. 😊

[@ginnyrodriguez2372]

You don’t wash them first?

[@GardenJensJourney]

I don't generally, no. I don't spray them with chemicals and usually I don't have problems with bugs on them either. So there is no real need to wash them. If I had either of those 2 problems, I would rinse them.