Content
- Harvest woodruff and use fresh or preserved
- Find woodruff for the harvest
- Grow woodruff yourself
- The perfect time to harvest woodruff
- To preserve the woodruff
- Tips & Tricks
Harvest woodruff and use fresh or preserved
In many foods Waldmeister is nowadays only contained as an artificial taste due to its active ingredients such as coumarin.However, you can reap the ancient herb and preserve it for use relatively easily.
Previous article The right care for the woodruff Next article Woodruff in pot and harvestFind woodruff for the harvest
The woodruff is not common as a wild plant in all regions of Central Europe. But it is most likely to be discovered in shady places in clear and not too dry forests. Here it forms due to the self-sowing of the seeds and the propagation of Wurzelausläufer at its location usually extensive carpets, which reach a height of a maximum of 30 centimeters. Its characteristic leaves, which are arranged in lances in circular form around the stem, only make it relatively difficult to mix with other plants. Waldmeister is particularly easy to find from April to May, not only because of its sweet scent, when the woodland master's heyday begins. The flowers are shaped like small white crosses and supposedly served as a model for the appearance of the Swiss flag.
Grow woodruff yourself
If you can not find a woodruff in the woods in your area, you can plant it relatively easily yourself. You can use a shady spot under trees or shrubs in the garden, or grow the woodruff in a shady spot directly in the pot. Since it concerns a frost germiner, the sowing time of the Waldmeister ranges approximately from September to December. However, a larger crop should not be harvested by the young plants until the second year, as the cut in the first year inhibits the plants in their development and growth.
The perfect time to harvest woodruff
In principle, woodruff can be harvested and preserved from spring to autumn. However, there is certainly a reason why the plant, which is also used for the typical Maybowle, is mainly cut before flowering in spring. With the flower, the value of the contained coumarin increases significantly in the woodruff and thus the risk of overdose, which could lead to malaise, headaches and regular use even to liver damage. Therefore, the timing of the harvest is better to choose from early to mid-April or in cool locations until mid-May.
To preserve the woodruff
The woodruff can be preserved either by drying or freezing. Various procedures can be selected for drying:
For freezing, either bound bouquets or already chopped leaves may be added in portions to the freezer.
Tips & Tricks
After harvesting, allow the fresh woodruff to wither or freeze for a few hours before using it for Maibowle or other recipes. By splitting the coumarin, the taste will emerge even more intense.
WK