Drying woodruff - this is how it's done

Harvest woodruff at the right time

If you want to dry or freeze a supply of woodruff, you should pay attention to the right time for harvest. In principle, the woodruff can be used throughout the season, but the amount of coumarin contained in the leaves increases from the flowering period in April and May. Since this is not only responsible for the typical woodruff taste, but can also cause liver damage if overdosing, the dosage of woodruff harvested later should be extremely economical.

The different types of drying

When harvesting and processing woodruff, it has proven useful to always tie a few cut stalks together in a bundle. You can then dry the stems and leaves in different ways:

Hung upside down in a well-ventilated place
in the oven at a maximum of 40 degrees Celsius with the oven door slightly open
in a special dehydrator

When drying in the oven and in the dehydrator, you should pluck the leaves from the stems, because tied woodruff bouquets would possibly stick together and not dry evenly. However, so that the dried woodruff does not lose its intense taste, you should not dry it for too long. When properly dried, the leaves still have a delicate green color and can be stored in screw-top jars or cans until they are used.

The enhancement of the taste when drying

In contrast to many other herbs, the woodruff does not have its greatest taste and smell intensity fresh. As a side effect of the preservation, the contained coumarin is broken down if you let the woodruff wither for at least a few hours before using it for maypole, woodruff rice or woodruff syrup. If you do not have the time to do this, you can alternatively just put the woodruff in a freezer for a short time. Briefly freezing the leaves has the same effect and makes the taste even more intense.

Tips & Tricks

When hung in a dry place in the house, the woodruff gives off its pleasant scent for at least a few weeks. Shake the hanging bouquets a little every now and then so that all areas are equally well ventilated and can dry evenly.