Herb Drying Rooms

Calendula in the Herb Drying Room at Avena Botanicals

Over seven hundred pounds of fresh, hand-gathered medicinal herbs come into Avena's drying rooms annually and are immediately weighed and laid onto large screens. Most of these herbs are grown in Avena's three-acre gardens. We also collect a few herbs from nearby islands and meadows.

In mid-summer, Avena's staff hand-harvests 250-300 pounds of fresh, green milky oats from a local farm that uses only Biodynamic^® and organic farming practices. This harvest completely fills one of our drying rooms. Twice daily, throughout the growing season, the drying room dehumidifier is emptied, the heat monitored and recorded, and the herbs checked for their dryness. We keep the temperature between 80-95 F to insure the drying process is effective and complete. (The quality of herbs begins to deteriorate when dried above 100F.) The colors and aromas filling our drying rooms bring joy to anyone’s heart who enters these magical spaces. Once dry, the herbs are weighed, recorded in our drying log, bagged, labeled, and brought into Avena's new production facility where the herbs get logged in and stored in cool, dark containers.

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Avena Botanicals makes herbal products using fresh, organic & Biodynamic^® herbs. We believe that these vital plants and a sacred connection to place promote wellness of the body, mind, and spirit and encourage humans to be mindful and loving stewards of the Earth. Our herbs are hand-harvested in the spirit of joy and immediately processed in our on-site production facility in Rockport, Maine. All of our herbal products are hand-crafted and will always be made in this artisanal way. After over three decades in business, we remain committed to offering the highest quality, traditionally-crafted herbal products possible.

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Avena Botanicals
219 Mill Street
Rockport, Maine 04856

ph: 207-594-0694 | fax: 207-594-2975