In many foods, woodruff is only contained as an artificial flavor due to its active ingredients such as coumarin. However, you can harvest the ancient medicinal herb yourself relatively easily and preserve it for use.

Find woodruff for harvest

As a wild plant, the woodruff is not equally widespread in all regions of Central Europe. However, it is most likely to be found in shady places in light forests that are not too dry. Here it usually forms extensive carpets at its location due to the self-sowing of the seeds and the propagation via root runners, which reach a maximum height of 30 centimeters. Its characteristic leaves, which are arranged in a circle around the stem in lance-shaped tiers, make it relatively difficult to confuse it with other plants. Woodruff is particularly easy to find not only because of its sweet scent from April and May, when the woodruff begins to bloom. The flowers are shaped like small white crosses and are said to have served as a model for the appearance of the Swiss flag.

Grow woodruff yourself

If you cannot find a woodruff in the forests in your area, you can also plant it relatively easily yourself. You can use a shady location under trees or bushes in the garden, or you can grow the woodruff directly in a pot in a shady spot. Since it is a frost germ, the sowing time of the woodruff ranges from about September to December. However, a larger harvest should only be obtained from the young plants in the second year, since cutting in the first year inhibits the plants in their development and growth.

The perfect time to harvest woodruff

In principle, woodruff can be harvested and preserved from spring to autumn. However, there is a reason why the plant, which is also used for the typical May punch, is mainly pruned before the flowering period in spring. With flowering, the value of the coumarins contained in woodruff increases sharply and with it the risk of an overdose, which could lead to discomfort, headaches and even liver damage if taken regularly. It is therefore better to choose the time for harvesting from the beginning to mid-April or in cool locations even up to mid-May.

Make the woodruff durable

Woodruff can be preserved either by drying or freezing. Various procedures can be selected for drying:

  • hanging tied bouquets in an airy place
  • drying in a dehydrator
  • drying at low temperature in a slightly open oven

For freezing, either tied bouquets or leaves that have already been chopped can be placed in portions in the freezer.

tips and tricks

After harvesting, let the fresh woodruff wilt for a few hours or freeze briefly before using it for May punch or other recipes. By splitting the coumarin, the taste will then become even more intense.

WK

Category:

Herbs