Content
- Camomile - flowering and harvest
- Chamomile does not reap too late
- Dry chamomile properly
- Tips & Tricks
Camomile - flowering and harvest
The well-known medicinal herb chamomile can be easily grown in your own garden or collect in the wild. However, the quality of the chamomile flowers depends on both the correct harvest time and the type of drying.
Earlier Eyes On Collecting - Different camomile species are very similar Next article Chamomile collecting and drying - How it's doneChamomile does not reap too late
The true chamomile has a relatively long flowering time and can see her bright, yellow flower heads with the characteristic white tongue leaves between May and September. the older the flowers become, the more the tongues tend towards the ground. Flowering contains the highest percentage of medically important essential oils when harvested about three to five days after complete opening. Especially with wild collections, the perfect time is difficult to adjust, which is why you can follow the following rule of thumb: If about two-thirds of a camomile hedge is fully blossoming and some are still closed, you can reap. Traditionally, chamomile is harvested around the 24th of June, the St. John's Day.
Dry chamomile properly
Essential oils are very volatile, which is why you should immediately process the freshly harvested flower heads and dry them properly. Above all, it is important that the flowers are not exposed to sunlight during the drying process. Furthermore, the selected place should not be too warm and airy. Temperatures between 20 and 30 ° C are optimal. Even a gentle drying in the oven is possible, provided that it is carried out at a low temperature.
Tips & Tricks
You can also collect mature (ie flower heads with fruit stalks) chamomile flowers and spread them in your garden between the beginning of August and the middle of September - in this way you naturally sow the medicinal plant. Note that the chamomile is a light germ and therefore their seeds should not be covered with soil.
IJA