Why dry at all?
Catnip tastes best when fresh and its smell is most intense thanks to the essential oils it contains. But in dried form it can be kept longer. This will save you the stress of thinking about what you can do with the plant within a short period of time.
Dry catnip – That’s it!
All parts of the catnip above ground are suitable for drying. It is best to harvest the catnip shortly before or during the flowering period. Cut the stems to just above the ground. Then clean the stems (e.g. shake off dried sludge). Important: Do not rinse with water. As a result, some of the essential oils are lost.
Now the stems can be tied together to form a bouquet and hung in the attic with a string, for example. The leaves can also be plucked off and spread out on a baking tray or newspaper and dried.
Remarkable for drying:
- Where: in an air-dry, warm and shady room
- ggf. spread out on shady balcony
- not in the kitchen or cellar (often high humidity)
- faster drying variant: in a drying device or oven at max. 50 °C
- prefer to allow to dry longer than too short (danger of mould)
- keep dried catnip in dark, closed containers
And what to do with the dried catnip?
The dried catnip is edible and can be used:
- to please cats
- for tea
- for cold infusions
- for smoking
- for smoking
- for seasoning
- for external applications such as envelopes
Tips & Tricks
The fact that catnip is not exposed to direct sunlight and great heat during drying is extremely important. Light and heat destroy most of the essential oils contained – those that make catnip so valuable.
KKF
