Eucalyptus is known to be the favorite food of koalas. But the plant, which belongs to the myrtle family, has a lot more to offer: people love it in tea and cough drops - or as an accessory in flower vases. Our guide tells you how to dry fresh and faded eucalyptus to use it as a special tea ingredient or alternatively as a very decorative dried bouquet. Just follow our instructions - the task is very simple!
Dried eucalyptus can be processed into a delicious tea
How to dry eucalyptus - step-by-step instructions
A note in advance: If you want to use your dried eucalyptus in the kitchen, you should dry it fresh. On the other hand, you can wait a while to dry with a clear conscience if the plant is to live on later as a dried bouquet or is to be processed into a dried bouquet. Eucalyptus is an extremely easy-care plant that can be kept in a vase for a relatively long time and loses almost none of its color intensity. That means you can enjoy the fresh look a little longer before you start drying.
When drying, proceed as follows:
- Take the eucalyptus and cut the branches to remove the wet ends.
- Then put the branches in a small container without water.
- Put the jar with the eucalyptus in a dry and dark (shaded) place. For example, an attic or a basement.
- Drying can take a few days or even weeks. It is important that you only start processing when the eucalyptus no longer has any residual moisture.
Tips:
- Never expose the branches with the eucalyptus leaves to the sun. The radiation only ensures that the essential oils are lost.
- You don't necessarily have to put the branches in a container to dry, you can instead tie them tightly together with rubber rings and hang them up - again in a dry and dark place.
Use dried eucalyptus
If you want to use the dried eucalyptus leaves as an ingredient in the kitchen (e.g. for tea or as a special spice), you can leave them in leaf form or cut them into small pieces. It is best to store the eucalyptus in screw-top jars.
If you strive to make chic decorative items from the dried eucalyptus branches, you have a free hand. Be creative! Great ideas include a modern dried bouquet or a small bouquet hanging upside down that both freshens the air and looks attractive.
The garden journal freshness ABC
How can fruit and vegetables be stored correctly so that they stay fresh for as long as possible?
The garden journal freshness ABC as a poster:
- as a free PDF file to print out yourself