I’m a collector of things. Since my study of herbs got underway, I’ve been buying them in bulk and using them a lot. I make lots of great things like herbal teas, arnica balm, and of course, using them in our foods like our favorite dill pickles, or our favorite pasta sauce. My biggest hurdle to using them, however, has been my lack of herb storage organization.
There are many different methods of herb storage, and usually it’s in a spice rack. I have a spice rack. Actually, I have two hung directly next to each other so that they resemble one long rack. Though these are quite adequate for my culinary herbs, they don’t provide enough space to store all of my herbs.
My old herb storage solution was to store them in the silver bags they came in. Some of them had a ziploc-type feature to them, making them recloseable. Others did not have that feature, which meant that I needed to use the old fold-and-clip technique. All of those bags would be piled into a cupboard somewhere making it difficult to use them.
Now I use mason jars to store my herbs. It gives me the opportunity to see what’s in the jar. If I don’t recognize the herb that is in the jar (which is usually the case), I mark the jar with sharpie or use a label.
If all you have are bands and lids, and you’d like to avoid using the bands with the metal lids, you can vacuum seal your lids onto your jars. I use a Foodsaver system with the jar sealer attachment (I have both sizes). It takes a bit more time, but it’s worth it if you purchase your herbs in bulk.
[sc name=”Herb Jar Labels”]
If you are making culinary spice or medicinal herb mixes, you could drag out all of your herb jars on the same day. This would make it easy to make up all your mixes, then vacuum seal and put away on the same day. As an alternative to vacuum sealing, you could use a couple of oxygen absorbers in your herb jars. The size of your jar and type of absorber you purchase would determine how many to use.
What About You?
Do you have a special system for herb storage? I’d love to hear about it!
It is so nice to have a nice supply,,,, and especially to have it organized and labeled. 🙂
Yes, you are so right, Gentle Joy! I still have piles of jars in there, but at least I know quickly what they are either because I recognize the herb or it says it on the lid. I like it so much better this way.
Nope! No special way of storing them… sandwich bags? Other than the little bottles from the store that I always reuse, I don’t have system like yours and I like it! Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for linking up at the Weekend Blog Hop at My Flagstaff Home!
Jennifer
I like to reuse those bottles too, but now that I’m buying herbs by the pound, they don’t fit in there! ha ha Sandwich bags and smaller jars are totally fine if that’s all you need! 🙂
Hey, just wanted to let you know that your post will be featured at the next Weekend Blog Hop at My Flagstaff Home on Thursday.
Jennifer
Thank you so much, Jennifer! I’m honored!
Featuring on the Homestead Blog Hop! Thanks for sharing!
Wow, really?? Thank you so much, Jennifer, what a great honor! 🙂
wow, those are way too cute!!! thanks for helping me get more organized! Another top 5 of From The Farm!! 😉
Thanks for the honor, Heather! I hope they help you. Collecting herbs can be so addictive! 😀
I love your printable herbs tags and how you organized your herbs. I try to organize in glass jar, but I don’t have need as many as you do. Thanks for provided this valuable information and tips. Visiting from Homestead blog hop.
HI Marla! Thank you! I probably wouldn’t have this many either, had I not taken the classes at Herbal Academy of New England. Now that I’ve got them organized and stored, I just need to figure out how to use each one of them! I use most of them, but there are a few that I don’t have more than one use for. Time to pull out the books! Thanks for the visit!
I store my herbs in jars as well. It’s easy to find what I need, they are organized and fresh. Greetings
I love this! I’ve been planning a medicinal herb garden and I’m trying to learn as much as I can to decide what I add into it. I’m really loving all your posts, and I love your arnica balm post! I look forward to finding more and more inspiration on your page. THANK YOU!
Thank you so much, Chelsea! What kind words!
Currently mine are either in jars they came in or bags. I like the idea of all the same jars, like mason jars. Maybe someday.
I like it too, but the only thing is if you have differing g amounts of herbs, the different jar sizes can make it annoying!
I have an old dresser that I use for all my herbs. Some are in Mason jars and some are still in their bags. The top of the dresser is used for the tinctures and some of the items I use for making things.
That sounds lovely, Rose!