Jody's Journal
Preparing for Winter: Preserving Autumn's Harvest
October · Early October
Autumn is one of my favourite times of year. The hedgerows are filled with rosehips and hawthorn berries, apples and pears are ready for gathering, and the woodlands are alive with mushrooms. It's also the time when I begin preparing for winter, preserving what I can from the garden, orchard and surrounding countryside. There's something incredibly satisfying about gathering food and herbs while they're plentiful, knowing they'll still be there to enjoy during the colder months.
What's Happening in My Kitchen This Autumn?
At the moment, I've been busy drying rosemary, apples, pears and some of the wild mushrooms I've been gathering. The apples and pears are being sliced and dehydrated into delicious fruit crisps. They're a wonderful way to preserve seasonal fruit and make a lovely snack without needing to add sugar. I've also been gathering the last of the rosehips and hawthorn berries, turning them into homemade fruit leathers to store in the freezer.
Fruit Leathers
Fruit leathers are a fantastic way of preserving fruit. Once prepared, the fruit is turned into a smooth purée, spread thinly and slowly dried until it becomes a flexible, chewy sheet. Any irritating hairs and seeds from rosehips, and the hard seeds from hawthorn berries, need to be carefully removed during preparation. The finished leathers can be cut into strips, rolled and stored for later.
And, of course, there's mushroom season!
Anyone who knows me knows how much I love exploring the woodlands and mountains for mushrooms. It's probably my favourite time of year to be outside. Some of my carefully identified edible finds are being dried for future use. Wild mushroom identification requires considerable knowledge, as poisonous species can closely resemble edible ones. Never eat a wild mushroom unless its identification and edibility have been established with certainty.
How to Dry Herbs at Home
Drying herbs is one of the oldest and simplest methods of preserving plants. Whether you've grown your herbs yourself or gathered them from the wild, drying allows you to store them for use throughout the year. Dried herbs can be used in cooking, herbal teas, infused oils and other traditional preparations.
1. Harvesting Your Herbs
Choose healthy leaves and stems, ideally when the plants are dry and free from rain or morning dew. Always make sure you have correctly identified the plant and that it is suitable for your intended use.
2. Preparing the Herbs
Remove any damaged or discoloured leaves, along with insects or unwanted material. If the herbs need washing, rinse them gently and allow the surface moisture to dry completely before beginning.
3. Air-Drying
One traditional method is to tie herbs into small, loose bundles and hang them upside down. Choose somewhere dry, well-ventilated and out of direct sunlight. Avoid damp rooms, as moisture can encourage mould. Alternatively, leaves and flowers can be spread in a single layer on a drying rack.
4. Using a Dehydrator
I also use a dehydrator, particularly during autumn when the weather becomes increasingly damp. A dehydrator allows warm air to circulate around the herbs, gradually removing their moisture. Use a low temperature suitable for the particular herb, checking regularly until it is completely dry. Drying times will depend on the plant, the thickness of its leaves and the amount of moisture it contains.
5. Knowing When Your Herbs Are Ready
Herbs must be thoroughly dried before storing. Most dried leaves should crumble easily between your fingers, while the thinner stems should snap rather than bend. Rosemary, for example, develops firm, brittle leaves that can be removed from the stems once dried.
6. Storing Your Dried Herbs
Once completely dry and cool, place your herbs in clean, airtight glass jars. Label each jar with the name of the herb and the date it was harvested. Store somewhere cool, dark and dry, away from direct sunlight and moisture. It's worth checking newly filled jars for condensation. Any trapped moisture can cause problems during storage.
A Little Preparation Goes a Long Way
You don't need a huge garden or expensive equipment to begin preserving seasonal food and herbs. Even a few jars of dried rosemary, some homemade apple crisps or a small collection of carefully prepared herbs can be a wonderful start. I love knowing that when winter arrives, I'll have a cupboard filled with things I've gathered and prepared myself. And there's something else I particularly enjoy about this process. It encourages us to pay attention to the changing seasons, to use what is available when it's plentiful and to waste less. Rather than expecting everything to be available all year round, we can rediscover the simple pleasure of working with nature's seasonal rhythms.
Discover More About Working with Plants
If you're interested in learning more about identifying, gathering and preparing plants, my book Experience Healing with Nature: Plant Wisdom explores traditional herbal knowledge and practical ways to work with the plants around us. From herbal teas and tinctures to infused oils and homemade preparations, there's so much to discover. Sometimes the most rewarding things we make are the simplest.
From the apothecary this autumn
Want to learn more?
Every plant mentioned here is covered in much greater detail in my book, Healing with Nature: Plant Wisdom, where I share how I identify, harvest and work with these wonderful herbs throughout the seasons.
You'll also find many of these herbs available as handcrafted tinctures, infused oils and salves in the Heart of Wales Remedies shop, alongside our detoxes and bundles.