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I cannot stress enough the importance of curing.
You know the difference between cured and non-cured meats, it’s the same for herbs.
Once your hydroponically grown herbs are completely dry (e.g.brittle to touch and the stems ’snap’ in 2 easily), it’s time to cure. Any moisture will result in mould, so things must be completely dry. I repeat, BONE DRY!
The best way to cure is in a glass jar with a sealed lid (like Bodum jars ). You’ll need a small air gap in the jar, so completely full to the brim is no good.
Alternatively, the Yanks love to use Ziplock bags. This is pretty much the only way for large quantities of herb. Make sure there is a small amount of air in the bag.
Now place your curing herbs in a dark place, fridge is OK too. Open the bags/jars to smell for any mould. If you smell anything mouldy, immediately open the bag and check for mouldy herbs. Otherwise it will spread to your other herbs.
If your herbs are still dry, just keep the bag open a little for a day or two in a dark place.
Curing really only gets good from 3months onwards, 12 months can produce some of the sweetest herbs you’ve ever tasted, turning something quite danky in taste to amazingly ripe.
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Flushing your plants at the end of the hydroponic cycle is essential to take all the chemicals out.
I favour a minimum of 2 weeks – although some people do only 10 days.
I don’t really feel if you’re been fertilizing at EC15-20 that’s sufficient.
Ideal is 4 weeks. I have flushed smaller plants for 8 weeks. The taste is excellent.
Remember though while flushing, just keep the light on them 12/12 – it’s just the feed you’re changing nothing else.
Longer flushing = better taste and less chemicals.
