Maximum Yield USA 2012 March | Page 148

Maintain Your Grain "if you harvest basil plants and place them directly into a garbage bag and wait 20 minutes, when you reach into the bag again you will notice a dramatic increase in temperature." humidity the less stress it will cause to the dying plant. That ‘15 per cent or less’ mark is critical, so don’t stop too soon! Many growers get their vegetables or herbs nearly dry and begin storing them, only to return a week or two later and be horrified to find the entire stored commodity affected by mold. On the other hand, plant parts that are dehydrated too long with moisture levels that are too low tend to crumble, disintegrate and lose flavor and aroma. Balance is the key! While most home hobby growers won’t actually bother to measure moisture content, it can be done quite easily. In the method explained here, the sample will be destroyed by drying to a theoretical zero moisture content. First, pull out a test 146 Maximum Yield USA | March 2012