Fall has definitely arrived here in the northeast!  The mornings are crisp and cool and many of the flowers and herbs are starting to fade.   It’s time to start thinking ahead and preparing some home remedies for winter!  Today I’m going to share with you 7 ways to use herbs this fall.  

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Over the past few years I’ve developed a bit of a routine in the fall.  Once my kids start back to school, I start making home remedies for winter and try to use up any herbs growing in my garden that won’t tolerate a light frost.  Our first frost is usually only a month away and I hate to see those herbs go to waste!

Here’s a glimpse of my normal fall routine for using up those herbs and getting your home apothecary stocked at the same time!

7 Ways to Use Herbs This Fall

Gather and Dry Your Fresh Herbs

The time for gathering herbs is fleeting if you live in a cold climate (although many of my herbs like lemon balm and spearmint are still going strong thanks to constant harvesting throughout the summer. )  You’ll be thankful this winter that you took the time to dry some of your fresh herbs!   I love both the freshness and the cost savings of growing and drying my own herbs.

One of my favorite ways to dry herbs is in my Excalibur dehydrator (a similar type dehydrator will also work well.)  I simply spread out my herbs on the mesh screens and set the temperature to 95 degrees.  Most herbs dry in about 24-36 hours.  It works extremely well if you don’t have a lot of space to hang your herbs to dry.

Once the herbs are completely dry, I use my food processor to chop them and then add them to a labeled glass jar with a lid.  It’s wonderful having a good supply of your own homegrown herbs in the pantry for cooking, tea blends and all sorts of home remedies (more on that later!)

Make Some Infused Oils

While you’re gathering fresh herbs, be sure to gather some herbs to infuse in olive, coconut, sweet almond or other carrier oils.   Use the herb infused oil as a body oil, moisturizing face oil, massage oil  or as a base for salves,balms or lotions.

Herbs such as  calendula, lemon balm, goldenrod, elder leaf, plantain, dandelion, comfrey, and yarrow leaf all make useful and healing additions to an infused oil and salve.   Be sure to either dry your herbs first or wilt them overnight to prevent any mold growth in your oil.

Herb Infused Culinary Oils are also a great way to use your herbs.  They make great gifts too!

Make Herbal Vinegar

Herbal Vinegar is another way to use the herbs you harvest this fall.   Some of my favorite herbs to infuse in a fall vinegar are sage, oregano, thyme, bee balm, chickweed, dandelion root and leaf, and burdock root.

Vinegar has the wonderful ability to draw minerals out of plants so your herbal vinegar is not only flavorful, it’s also extremely nutritious.

If you use apple cider vinegar in your herbal vinegar there are even more benefits.  Apple cider vinegar increases your body’s ability to absorb and digest minerals.  A spoonful of apple cider vinegar on your broccoli or greens can increase your calcium absorption by about one-third!

You can even make your own apple cider vinegar easily using apple scraps (another wonderful fall project!)

Get Creative with Pesto

Capture the taste of summer by freezing some pesto.  You can, of course make a traditional pesto but how fun it is to experiment!  One of my favorite pesto recipes is Chickweed Pesto.  It’s delicious!  I simply substitute fresh chickweed for the basil in this recipe. 

If you are eager to experiment, how about making some dandelion pesto or bee balm pesto?

Make Herbal Honey

Another delicious way to use your fall herbs is by making an herbal honey.  Herbal honeys are simple to make and last a long time without refrigeration.  Stir them into your tea, add them to your baked goods, make herbal syrups or simply take by the spoonful to ease a sore throat.

Aromatic herbs such as lavender, mint, lemon balm, hyssop, rosemary and thyme make wonderful herbal honey.

After gathering your fresh herbs, mince them finely and pour over some raw honey.  It’s that simple!  Stir your honey every day or so until the honey becomes deliciously infused with herbs.  When making herbal honey, use raw honey which contains nutrients and enzymes and is more nourishing than the store bought honey in a bear.

Harvest Fall Roots

Fall is the time for harvesting roots like dandelion, echinacea, horseradish, chicory and burdock.

One herb that most people have growing in their backyard is dandelion. In the fall, dandelion root has its highest inulin content making it a great herbal prebiotic to support gut health.  Why purchase prebiotics when dandelion is so plentiful!

When harvesting roots in the fall, wash them well with a scrub brush and then chop and dry them for use over the winter.  You could also make a tincture or tea using the fresh roots.

My new ebook, “Exploring Herbs: Fall Edition”  has  lots of recipes and ideas for how to use some of these roots, whether you dig the fresh roots yourself or purchase dried roots.

Make Fire Cider 

Another way to put those fall roots to good use is by making some Fire Cider.   Fire Cider is a staple in my home and it is rare that we don’t have at least one bottle of homemade Fire Cider in the refrigerator.  I usually make at least a gallon each fall to last us through the year.  Fire Cider is great as both a preventative and an immune boosting cold and flu remedy.

Exploring Fall Herbs

Are you excited about all the ways you can use fall herbs?   You might also enjoy my new ebook, Exploring Herbs: Fall Edition which contains nearly 20 recipes for nourishing, detoxifying and immune-building recipes utilizing the herbs of fall.   You’ll find:

• Recipes Using Nourishing & Detoxifying Herbs as Food

• Immune Building Herbal Home Remedies

• Nourishing Homemade Body Care Recipes

Learn how to use nourishing, detoxing and immune boosting herbs such as burdock, alfalfa, astragalus, schisandra berries, elderberries, medicinal mushrooms and more.

Learn more

What are your favorite ways to use herbs in the fall?    Let me know by leaving a comment below or sharing a comment or picture on my Facebook Page or tagging me on Instagram . 

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This site is for educational purposes only. It does not provide medical advice. Information found on myhealthyhomemadelife.com is meant to motivate you to make your own health care and dietary decisions based upon your own research and in partnership with your health care provider.

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