Fall isn't the only harvest time, herbs need attention now

We harvest our home-grown veggies in the fall, right? Sure, but some we need to harvest right now. The alliums and herbs are among the first to require your attention.

If you planted garlic in your vegetable garden, you will notice that the tops are drying and falling over and it is time to dig them - carefully so as not to bruise them. And the secret to these vegetables that will keep in storage is how you handle them right after you bring them in from the garden.

Your home-grown garlic bulbs will store longer than the ones you buy in the supermarket. Commercial garlic has usually been kept cold in controlled storage. When brought to room temperature, the cloves sprout fairly soon. Depending on the variety, garlic from the home garden should keep six to eight months or longer.

The most important thing to remember is good air circulation, so the best plan is to hang them up out of direct sunlight for 2 to 3 weeks. First remove as much dirt as possible without bruising the garlic. If the tops are strong, braiding is a good way to hang them; if not, the tops can be tied with string. A temperature of 70-75 degrees F is good, so an unused room or the garage or a covered patio might be the choice.

When the natural wrappers that surround the cloves are dry, check for damage and set those aside for use right away; then check for the biggest bulbs with plump healthy cloves and hold them for planting in late September for next year’s crop.

Cut most of the roots off the rest, leaving just a bit. You can remove the dirty outer layers of wrappings and brush loose dirt off, but don’t take off all the papery wrappers since they protect the cloves.

Put the heads in mesh bags and hang them where the temperatures are in the 60s - a basement would work well.

Not far behind on the summer schedule will be your crop of onions. Onions are sensitive to day length; the size of the mature bulb depends on the size of the onion plant at the beginning of bulb formation. If you don’t get bulbs, you have planted the wrong type of onion for this area. Harvest your onions when 80 percent of the tops are down. It is not necessary to knock them down.

The curing process is similar to that of curing garlic and will take about the same amount of time. Before storing, check the onions for bruised spots, those that have sent up seed stalks or thick necks. These will not keep well so set them aside for use before the rest. Again, mesh bags to allow air circulation is the best way to keep them, or they can be braided and hung.

Onions like a cooler temperature in storage than garlic and maybe a move to the garage when cold weather comes would be a good choice. I have had good luck just using the basement as storage, with the onions lasting through December and sometimes even into February.

Did you plant shallots also? If you are putting in the other alliums, do consider planting a few next year. Shallots at the supermarket are always pricey and having your own supply is great economy not to mention convenience. Curing is similar to garlic, and shallots keep even longer, many times until the next summer.

Thyme, dill and oregano are ready for a cutting now. A dehydrator is wonderful for drying, but simply spreading them out on a screen works. If you spread them on a cookie sheet, be sure to turn them often so air can get to all the foliage. These herbs can also be frozen. If you are growing rosemary, it can be harvested at any time and dried as can culinary sage leaves.

Basil can also be dried and should be cut frequently throughout the summer for drying. Fresh basil is so much tastier than dried, but basil does not like cold and even a stay in the refrigerator turns it brownish black. Freezing it also results in a really dark colored product. Adding oil makes a difference in the color retention, and pesto from your own basil is wonderful. Pesto can be frozen in ice cube trays to provide small portions, and the cubes then transferred to bags.

Marilynn Chambers is a master gardener and native plant master, and a member of The Gardeners of Pueblo West, who designed the Xeriscape Demonstration Garden under construction at Cattail Crossing park. You can e-mail her at jchamlyn@msn.com.

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