What to save/dry/preserve for winter?

[FourRingCircus]

What plants/weeds can I somehow save for winter use? Either drying, freezing, maybe some other method I am not thinking of? Didn't know about things like plantain, clover, maybe some herbs? Looking for things to use as food supplements (to add in with hay and pellets), medicinal, pretty much anything.

 

[MaggieJ]

You can dry most of the plants that you feed fresh. The exceptions would be really fleshy leaves like purslane. But clover, dandelions, sow thistles, willow, mulberry, raspberry and blackberry canes... all that kind of thing dries quite well.

Things like willow and the berry canes can be made into small bunches and hung up. Smaller individual leaves dry nicely in the kind of mesh bags that oranges or onions are sold in. The main danger is the plants may get mouldy before they dry, so don't pack them too tightly and put them in an airy, dry, warm spot out of direct sunlight. Once they are totally dry you can store them in burlap bags, bushel baskets covered with burlap or sheeting or simply leave them in their bunches and mesh bags.

If you live in an extremely humid area, you will have to guard against mould even more diligently. A fan in your drying area may be a help.

Edited to add: Plants that you are drying as medicinals should probably be labelled, just as a precaution.

 

[FourRingCircus]

So the whole cane of raspberries and blackberries? We have a bunch of wild ones in the yard so that would be easy...

I have an old crib rail hanging at the top of the basement stairs that I use for drying... dust is the main issue (going to use old cloth diapers and drape them over to prevent that this time around). Mold/mildew shouldn't be a problem (we have vents downstairs for heat/AC plus a dehumidifier). Outside isn't an option... most mornings are 70%-80% humidity... this morning is was up to 96%!! Blech.

 

[Rainey]

We've dried willow and bramble branches and stinging nettle so far this year. We try to do them early in the season when the leaves are still fresh and growing. Don't know for sure but assume that other things would be the same as hay--better if harvested before it is too mature. Last winter the rabbits definitely enjoyed having the willow and brambles.
Cattails seem to be spreading on our farm and I've meant to harvest and dry some of them but partly just haven't gotten to it and partly feel uncertain about when they would be best gathered. :?

 

[FourRingCircus]

So you give them the whole dried cane, thorns and all?

 

[Rainey]

Yes, they don't seem to mind the thorns. Our goats don't either. They eat even those thorny multi-flora roses with great relish. Their mouths must be lots tougher than mine!

 

[alforddm]

You can dry grass in the sun. That is how they do hay around here even with the high humidity. It will take a couple of days to dry if it is thick. If it is laid out thin it can dry in a day. An extremely thick patch of something like crabgrass may take a day longer ie 3 days. That is how I plan to dry things. If you have something with thick stems it may need to be turned to ensure that it drys completely.