The particulars
Season
June–August
Picked
On dry mornings, heads only
Tastes of
Dry hay, apple skin, honey
Field notes
German chamomile is an annual that seeds itself with some enthusiasm. We grow it in two long strips on a south-facing field in sandy soil, which it prefers to anything richer, and let the poppies and cornflowers come up with it.
The flowers open from late June and are picked every few days until August, on dry mornings once the dew has gone. A chamomile rake does most of the work; fingers do the rest. Only the heads are taken, and only those with petals still held flat.
They are dried on mesh trays in the loft above the shed for about a week, out of direct light, and turned once a day. Dried flowers keep their scent until the pears are ready in September, when both are steeped together, cold, for a full day.
