How to Harvest German Chamomile

Now that I've shown you how to grow German chamomile, it's time to harvest it and put it to good use. Here's how.

Difficulty:

Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• fully grown German chamomile that is beginning to flower
• garden shears
• herb drying screen or twine
• good drying area in your house or garage
• airtight glass containers

1. Plan on harvesting chamomile in the morning sunlight after all the dew is gone. The plant should be completely dry! The flower part, petals and all, is what you are after. Flowers tend to open up in the morning and will close up when the sun begins to go down.

2. Shake the plant gently to remove any pests or debris.

3. There are two ways you can do this and each has it's benefits:

4. (1) Pinch the flowers off at the stem or cut with gardening shears just below the flower head. Pinching the flowers will allow regrowth of the plant pretty quickly. Use this method if you want a continual harvest. Cutting only the flowers will require using a drying screen.

5. (2) Cut the stems with the flowers attached about 2-3 inches down the stem. Cutting the stems will take longer for the plant to rejuvenate, but you will be able to dry the chamomile by hanging it up in bunches with twine.

6. Either way, once you have the harvest, find a very warm area in your house or garage. Closets make a good choice. Make sure there is no moisture present and keep the chamomile out of sunlight. Any herb will turn moldy if these conditions are present. Dry, dark and hot is what you want. Check on the drying process frequently.

7. Once dried, if you chose to dry the herb by hanging it by the stem, now is the time to remove the flower only. Toss the stem. Place the chamomile in airtight dry glass containers and keep out of sunlight. It is best not to break apart the flower head until you are ready to use it. Keep as much of it intact as possible.

Resources

• My Gardening Blog