We did this awhile ago, but figured it might be helpful for us to illustrate our storage mechanisms for the dried flowers that we created over the summer.
For the quick recap, you might recall that we grew several flowers in “production status,” meaning we were aiming to get a crop off them. Once we harvest our flowers, we do all of our flower drying in the open air, resting them out in a single row on a baking sheet with a bit of parchment. We’re not in a hurry to get our dried flowers and the natural drying process is a bit better at preserving flavor and essential oils compared to a dehydrator.
The goal with dried flower storage is always as “air tight” as is possible. We definitely prefer mason jars for their sealing ability, but even re-used jars with a good lid are an excellent choice as well.
When it comes to storage time of flowers, we’ve found that the top end is about one or two years. Unlike herbs and spices that can last much longer with ideal storage, the delicate flowers will tend to turn into a powder and drop the appeal of our harvest significantly. Thus, we don’t feel compelled to label with the harvest year, since our crop is continually rotated every season.
If you’re looking to de-label any jars for re-use, our preferred technique is to soak them in hot water and Oxyclean overnight in the kitchen sink. This usually pulls off the label and any gunk with ease, eliminating any need for scrubbing or actual effort. We have a decent stock of re-used jars and occasional pick out new jars as various things come through our kitchen.
As for what we use these things for? Chamomile makes for an excellent tea, either by itself or added to other tea. It’s said to offer a “calming effect” to the drinker and we generally agree with that, it’s a great tea for a lazy winter weekend. With our calendula, our primary use is in home made body products such as salves, scrubs and soaps. You can also make a calendula tea as well, it’s strong anti-inflammatory properties make it an excellent choice if you’ve got a sore throat or other oral inflammation. Typically, you gargle the calendula tea as opposed to drinking it.
We’re making some plans for next year to add at least one new flower to our dried flower harvests. While there’s a zillion things you can do with dried flowers, we’ve found it beneficial to add them only as an actual need arises. Since the storage time is so short, we’ve found it best to only harvest what we actually have uses for.
It’s been a couple weeks since we’ve posted, you can see that we’re full on into winter now. We’ve got a couple feet of snow on the ground so far! Hope you all are enjoying your late fall or early winter!
