Picking and Drying
The harvest
Some precautions to follow:
It is important to check the quality of the pick-up site and pay attention to possible pollution. Avoid picking plants along roadsides or near polluting sites.
The time of day and weather conditions require special attention, depending on the amount of sunshine the living plant metabolizes differently: it is advisable to pick the plants in dry weather, after sunrise and after the dew has dissipated.
It is imperative to know how to recognize plants (differentiate those which can be confused with toxic varieties), the part of the plant to be picked and the ideal moment: in some cases, we prefer young leaves (less fibrous) and in other cases, the oldest (richer in active ingredients).
The roots are harvested in spring for perennial plants, in autumn for annual, biennial plants.
Bark, resin in winter for trees, in autumn for shrubs, in spring for conifers.
The leaves just before the complete development of the flowers except for the plants of which we will also use the flowering tops.
The stems are harvested at the same time as the leaves (except the mucilaginous plants).
The flowering tops are picked before their complete development.
Buds in spring.
The seeds or seeds at full maturity.
The fruits are harvested very ripe for immediate use, just before maturity for storage in preparations.
Pick-up calendar
JANUARY FEBRUARY MARCH
Asarum (plant), Poplar (buds), Hawthorn (flowers), Scots pine (buds), Tormentilla (root), Mistletoe (leafy branch), Cypress (nuts), Bittersweet (cut stem), Eucalyptus (nuts), Gray lichen (Icelandic lichen), Oak lung, Violets (flowers and leaves), Oak moss (lichen), Peach (flowers), Pine moss (lichen), Primrose (flowers), Brambles (buds), Broom (flowers), Wallflowers (buttons), Benoite (roots), Blackthorn (flowers), Bistort (roots), Ficaire (flowering plant), Imperative (roots), Coltsfoot (flowers), Lovage (roots).
APRIL MAY
White acacia (flowers), Nettle (hulled flowers, flowering plant), Borage (flowers), Lily of the valley (flowers; flowering plant with roots), Celandine (leafy plant), Horsetail (leafy plant) Primrose (flower with calyx), Watercress (leaves), Pulsatile anemone (plant), Parietaria (leaves), Small periwinkle (leaves), Brambles (buds).
MAY JUNE
White acacia (flowers), Marshmallow (leaves), Honeysuckle (flowers), Hibiscus (leaves), Marsh bean (flowers), Datura (leaves), Pied-de-Chat (flowers), Ivy (leaves), Scabious ( flowers), Menyanthe (leaves), Elderberry (flowers), Dandelion (leaves), Ache des marais (leaves), Plane tree (leaves), Balsamite (leaves), Asparagus (roots), Benoite (leaves), Elderberry (second bark) , Bearberry (leaves), Colchicus (seeds).
JUNE JULY
Absinthe (leaves), Garance (leaves), Acanthus (leaves), Arnica (flowers), Aconite Napel (leaves), Wild pansy (flowers; whole flowering plant), Motherwort (leaves), Burdock (leaves), Meadowsweet ( flowers), Belladonna (leaves), Clary sage (flowers), Borage (leaves), Linden (bract flowers), Blackcurrant (leaves), Brunelle (plant), Comfrey (leaves), Fennel (plant), Cynoglossus (leaves) , Galega (plant), Ash (leaves), Génépi (plant), Mauve (flowering plant, leaves), White horehound (plant), Hyssop (leaves), Pimprenelle (flowering plant), Lemon balm (leaves), Pulmonary. (flowering plant), Mint (leaves), Sanicle (flowering plant), Mulberry (leaves), Santoline (flowering plant), Bramble (leaves), Ragwort (flowering plant), Savory (leaves), Thyme (leaves), Véronique from the Alps (flowering plant), Coltsfoot (leaves).
AUGUST
Basil (leaves), Walnut (leaves), White broth (leaves, flowers), Rosemary (leaves), Black nightshade (leaves), Blueberry (flowers), Lavender (hulled flowers), Bugloss (flowers), St. John's wort (flowering tops) , Small centaury (plant), Oregano (flowering tops), Hedgerow (flowers), Black hollyhock (flowers), Geranium Robert (plant), Tansy (flowers), Foxglove (leaves), Argentina (leafy plant), Gratiole ( leafy plant), Catnip (leafy plant), Lettuce (plant), Saponary (leafy plant), Marshmallow (flowers), Fumitory (plant), Hops (cones), Horse chestnuts (seeds).
SEPTEMBER
Celery (seeds), White hellebore (roots), Rose hips (dried fruits), Male fern (roots), Alkékenge (berries), Corn (stigmas), Barberry (fruits), Mercurial (leaves), Bilberry (Blueberries) ), Quinces (seeds), Elderberry (berries), Strawberry cultivated (roots), Baguenaudier (leaves), Aconite (roots), Nuts (cockles).
OCTOBER
Hawthorn (dried fruit), Saponary (roots), Juniper (berries), Spotted arum (root), Buckthorn (berries), Squash (seeds), Peony (roots), Uva-Ursi (roots), Horseradish (roots), Borage (roots), Saffron (stigmas).
NOVEMBER-DECEMBER-JANUARY
Aconite (roots), Burdock (roots cut to 1 cm), Asparagus (roots), Wild strawberry (roots), Gentian (roots cut to 1 cm), Small holly (stump and root), Peony (roots), Beef stop (roots), Horseradish (roots), Birch (bark), Valerian (roots), Buckthorn (bark), Saponary (rhizomes), Oak (bark), Imperative (stumps and rhizomes), Ash (bark), Pomegranate (bark) , Rhubarb (roots), Garou (bark), Solomon's Seal (rhizomes), Willow (bark), Broom (roots), Elderberry (first bark), Elderberry (roots), Scots pine (buds), Comfrey (roots) ), Poplar (buds), Marshmallow (roots), Mistletoe (hulled leaves, without stems or fruits), Dandelion (roots), Colchicus (bulbs).
Drying
After harvesting, it is necessary to remove foreign bodies, dead or damaged parts of the plant (peeling) but also small insects, before using or drying them for conservation.
Depending on the case, plants are dried in the sun, in the oven, in an oven, in a dryer or in a ventilated room.
The roots are dried in dry air, possibly in the sun, the fleshy roots cut into thin slices, the mucilaginous roots dried in the oven (max 50 or 60 °).
The bark and wood are dried in the sun or in an oven.
The flowers, leaves and seedsare dried in the shade, in a room with a dry atmosphere, in a dryer, on racks or suspended in small isolated strands.
Thick stems and leaves: on racks, in a greenhouse. It is important to keep them away from moisture and light. The plants thus treated will keep for one year.