How and When to Harvest Chamomile

Chamomile is one of my must have herbs in the tea garden. It adds beautiful, cheery little blossoms to the garden and makes a delicious comforting tea. In this post, I share how and when to harvest chamomile as well as how to dry it and brew it into a cup of tea.

before harvest
German chamomile ready for harvest.

Also Read: How To Make Tea with  HerbsUsing Herbs in Mocktails and CocktailsFavourite Tea Herbs to Grow

Chamomile makes a soothing, comforting tea perfect for upset tummies, anxiety or sleepy time. I remember my mom making us chamomile tea if we had a mild fever, upset stomach or couldn’t get to sleep. It’s a tradition I’ve carried on with my kids who ask for a cup of chamomile if they’re feeling a little under the weather.

What Part of Chamomile to Harvest

Unlike many other herbs, when harvesting chamomile, it is the blossoms you want to collect, not the stems, leaves or roots. Those gorgeous white daisy like flowers are all you want to harvest for chamomile tea.

In fact, the green stems and leaves can lead to a bitter flavour, so just harvest the blossoms.

chamomile blossoms

When to Harvest Chamomile

Harvesting chamomile is a continuous activity that starts mid July. The blossoms will continue to grow if you keep picking them. If you stop picking and the flowers go to seed, chamomile will stop producing new flowers. So, get ready to harvest chamomile blossoms all summer! Good thing, it’s easy to do.

chamomile in garden

Chamomile flowers are ready to harvest when they are at full bloom. Ideally, the blossoms are open to their fullest, just before the tiny white petals begin to droop down. It’s not unsafe to harvest the blossoms if they’re a little premature or a little droopy, it’s just that they’re beneficial properties may not be at their fullest and most potent state.  

The best time of day to harvest chamomile, or any other herb, is in the morning after any dew has dried and before the midday sun has started to beat down on the blossoms.

How to Harvest Chamomile

how to pick chamomile
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How to Harvest Chamomile

Chamomile is one of my must have herbs in the tea garden. It adds beautiful, cheery little blossoms to the garden and makes a delicious comforting tea. Here's how to harvest chamomile throughout the growing season.
Author: Getty Stewart

Ingredients

  • 1 patch chamomile flowers

Instructions

  • When picking the flowers, use your fingers as a comb to get just the flower head.  
  • With your finger-comb in place, simply pluck the flower head off the stem while using your other hand to hold the stem of the plant. (You don't want to yank on the whole plant, just the flower head).
  • Or, pinch off each flower head using your forefinger and thumb just underneath the flower head.
  • Gather all the blossoms you can (the plant is happy to give up the flowers and keep growing!).
    You'll have to come back several times over the summer to collect blossoms when they're at full bloom.

Video

Notes

Unlike many other herbs, when harvesting chamomile, it is ONLY the blossoms you want to collect, not the stems, leaves or roots. The green stems and leaves can lead to a bitter flavour, so just harvest the blossoms.
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Course: gardening
Keyword: chamomile, fresh herbs, herbal tea
how to pick chamomile

Here’s a video giving a quick demo.

Use your fingers as a comb to get just the flower head, simply pluck the flower head off the stem while using your other hand to hold the stem of the plant.

Or, pinch off each flower head using your forefinger and thumb just underneath the flower head.

YouTube player

Gather all the blossoms you can. You’ll have to come back several times over the summer to collect blossoms when they’re at full bloom.

Chamomile will Self Seed

Chamomile is an annual that self-seeds quite well. When you stop harvesting the blossoms, they will dry and produce seeds. In the right environment, these seeds are quite prolific. I often leave a few blossoms to go to seed so I get volunteer chamomile plants the following year. I also harvest some of the dried out blossoms for the seed which I sow wherever I want chamomile to grow the next year. I’ve had pretty good success growing chamomile from saved seeds.

after harvest
After the harvest. The more you pick, the more blossoms grow. I was able to pick another bowl full the next day!

How to Dry Chamomile

Gently shake the flowers and look them over to remove any insects or dirt that may be on the flower heads.

If you wish, you can wash the flowers in a basin of water. Drain well and gently pat dry. I only wash the blossoms if I notice a lot of tiny little insects.

To really encourage the insects to come out of the nooks and crannies add vinegar or salt to the water.

washing chamomile

Air Dry – Spread out the flowers in a single layer on a mesh tray (ideal) or platter. Set the tray in a dark, warm, dry space with some air flow. Let dry for 1 to 2 weeks in a dark, warm, dry space. If you live in a very humid climate, you may have more success using a dehydrator.

In a Paper Bag – If I have only a handful of chamomile flowers that don’t need to be washed, I put them in a brown paper bag and put it in a dark, warm, dry space to dry inside the bag.

Dehydrate – Dry flowers on a lined dehydrator tray to prevent tiny dried blossoms from falling through the mesh. To avoid blossoms from blowing off the tray, place a mesh liner on top of the chamomile flowers.  Set the dehydrator on it’s lowest setting (95°F or 35°C) and dry for 12 to 18 hours. Delicate herbs and flowers should always be dehydrated at the lowest settings for optimum results.

dried chamomile

Once the flowers are thoroughly dried and cooled, store in a well sealed glass jar until next year’s chamomile harvest. Always store dried herbs out of direct heat or sunlight to best preserve the color, flavor and medicinal properties.  

How to Make Tea with Fresh or Dried Chamomile

Dried Chamomile: use 2-3 teaspoons of dried chamomile per 1 cup of boiling water. Steep for 2-3 minutes. Not longer or else the tea may have a bitter flavour.

chamomile tea

Fresh Chamomile: use 6-8 teaspoons of fresh chamomile per 1 cup of boiling water. Steep for 2-5 minutes.

Do you ever drink chamomile tea? Do you use it for a specific purpose or do you just enjoy it? If so, have you ever tried growing and harvesting your own chamomile?

I’d love to see your chamomile blossoms. Take a photo, post it on Instagram and tag #getgettys so I can see it and like it!

Select, store and serve seasonal food for everyday cooking with Getty. Getty is a food educator and Professional Home Economist,who loves sharing tips and recipes following the seasons from her Canadian kitchen. Sign up to get seasonal tips and recipes delivered to your inbox. Learn more about Getty or check out her books and guides.

14 Comments

  1. I picked my flowers and there are a bunch of super tiny bugs on them, is it still safe to use them?

    1. You can try gently washing your chamomile flowers in a bowl of water with salt and/or vinegar, then rinse with just water. That should draw out the little bugs (likely aphids which are not harmful to us if accidently swallowed).BUT I would not recommend drying the flowers in a paper bag after washing – moisture may be trapped in the flowers. Instead lay them out on a screen (an old window screen works well). Make sure there’s air space between each flower. Put them out in the sun to dry.

    1. I have some beautiful plants this year. I’m glad I read your answers here. Thank-you, what are some of the benefits of drinking this tea?

      1. I am by no means an expert in the medicinal properties of herbs. You’re best off to research more knowledgeable sites. I follow the tradition of my mom who would offer us a cup of chamomile tea if we had difficulty sleeping or had upset tummies.

  2. After you harvest the flowers is there any benefit or drawback for the whole plant to trimming the specific now-naked stem?

    1. When you remove the flowers, chamomile will produce new flowers. It is very determined to create seed and will re-flower several times. I have harvested flowers four or five times this season. It’s worth keeping the frilly stems around.

    1. Hi Sasha,
      It is possible to make tea from fresh herbs, you’ll just need to use 3 to 4 times more fresh flowers than dried. So you’re looking at about 3-4 Tbsp of fresh flowers/herbs per cup of tea steeped for about 5-8 minutes. Enjoy!

  3. if we get to the flowers after the petals have fallen off – can we still use the yellow heads for tea? I missed the boat and now have tons of yellow heads with no petals….!

    1. Hi Heidione,
      Shucks! Sometimes that happens. You could try making tea with just the heads or you could dry them and mix them in with your next flower harvest. Or, you could just let those heads dry to the point where you can harvest the seeds so you can sow more chamomile next year! You may even get another crop this year as they germinate and mature very quickly – about 5 days to germinate and 30 days to mature. Hope it works out for you.

  4. Thank you! I’m growing chamomile and a few other plants for teas this year for the first time. This helped a bunch <3

    1. Hi Bunny, thanks for stopping by, glad you found this post useful. Good luck with your herbal tea gardening, I’m sure you’ll love it.

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