Storing Your Herbs

My handwriting is that of a psychopath.

Last week's post on drying herbs gave y'all a good start to gathering and drying your own plants. This week we will look at how to properly store your dried herbs. While I usually use my dehydrator for the fruit I gather here on the farm, I decided to take my own advice from last week and dry some plants for culinary purposes. I dried sage and chives, finding the dehydrator to be a good method. If your dehydrator thermostat is kept at a low setting, I think it would even be acceptable for medicinal purposes.

Drying sage.

If you took time to start drying herbs, or have been for some time, comment below your favorite herbs in your pantry. I’m curious to see what your favorite medicinal/culinary herbs are. Otherwise, let’s get started about proper storage. ​

Not just any method will do.

​There are a few things you want to consider before you decide how you will store your herbs. Will they be in a cabinet or on an open shelf? What is the lighting situation? How much space do you have? Having lived in a tent, the Nook (basically a shed), a camper, and with others I understand maybe better than most that how you store something can greatly depend on where and how you live. Now that I live in the cottage, I have more space than I’ve ever had before. I’m currently testing the waters on how I want to store my herbs and what works best for me. What works best for you will likely be different. It might just be one of the following methods or a combination of methods. Either way, experiment and enjoy the process.

Mason, milk glass, or amber glass?

Jars

​Herbalists have been storing herbs in crocks and jars for centuries. I found a hilarious shirt on Etsy that said “Herbalists: hoarding jars since 10,000 B.C.” on it. Isn’t that the truth, though? Not every jar is created equal, though. There are many different jars you can store your herbs in, and different reasons why you would want to.

1. Mason jars:

• Easy to find because they are so common.
• If stored where there is direct light, use brown paper bags inside.
• Can be repurposed for canning veggies - dual purposed!
• Can write label directly on lid.

2. Apothecary jars (milk, cobalt, amber glass):

• Not very common, much pricier than mason jars.
• No need for brown paper, can set out pretty on shelves because of opaque glass.
• Needs a label on front so you know what is in it. 
• Very aesthetic, herbalist vibes all around. (Which is why this master herbalist has some, duh!)

3. Repurposed jars:

• Depending on what they are, may or may not need brown paper bag.
• Super cheap - old pasta sauce jars from the store, for example.
• Helps further conservation efforts by recycling, so you feel better as a good human.
• If the lid is damaged it can be hard to find replacements.

Bags

While I lived in the tent and the camper, I did not have hardly any room to have a bunch of jars around storing my herbs. I mean, for goodness sakes I have close to 200 species of herbs in my apothecary! I also was not able to have a garden most of the time so what I did not wildcraft myself I ordered online in bulk. If you find yourself lacking room for jars currently, bags are acceptable. Storing herbs in bags may not be the favorite “recyclable” or repurposed thing to do, you can be comforted by the 80/20 rule. If you are doing 80% good in your life, live in that 20% as you need.

1. The bags they came in:

• Protects against light.
• Already labeled, (usually) very detailed about origin and species.
• When wildcrafting and growing your own of the same herb, reuse the bag!

2. Storage bags (like freezer bags):

• Quality varies depending on brand.
• Easily accessible and even cheaper than jars.
• Can be repurposed.
• Write your own labels and source.
• Usually clear so you need to keep in cabinet or drawer away from light.​

My pantry preps and apothecary shelf.

Shelves

A weirdly huge selling point for us when we bought our cottage was the lack of cabinets and the abundance of shelves. My husband and I appreciate open shelves. If done right and kept tidy, open shelves can be a pleasing aesthetic. One positive factor is that you can see if you are running low or are out of anything.
​
There are downsides to having shelves instead of cabinets. If you are prone to clutter or are a messy person, it can be stressful to see all the time. Depending on where your shelves sit, especially if near a window, you also might have a hard time protecting your herbs from light. Those are just some factors to consider when choosing shelves.

Cabinets

 Cabinets are great to have for storing your herbs, protecting them from light and keeping the room looking tidy. When we lived in the camper, we had a long cabinet that ran alongside the ceiling. It kept the sight of my bags of herbs hidden, but I found myself taking a lot of the bags out in order to find anything. If done right, cabinets can work well and may even protect your herbs from other factors like excess moisture.

I liked these traditional apothecary shelves at a small herb shop, but I was not pleased that they had few spoons that shared many jars. Cross contamination, anyone?

Whatever you choose to do, you have plenty of options. This is not a “one size fits all” system, it takes a minute to find out what you like and what works for you. Let me know what you do, maybe share pics of it and tag me so I can see. Check out my social media and tag me so I can see your awesome setups!
Have a wonderful weekend, y’all.