Preserving the harvest part 1: pressing flowers

We all know that summer won’t last forever. That’s why I’m all for figuring out how to preserve the harvest. Not only for food but for flowers too!

I’ve dried flowers in the past but am just now re-discovering the process of pressing them. This is the first season I’m really trying to press a lot of blooms, so I’m a relative newbie. But you can follow me along here as I discover what methods and varieties work best.

Since I only have a small commercially made flower press, I’m putting to use my cherished library of flower and farming texts (and some of Jason’s old college texts) to press in a very no-fuss way.

Pressing whole poppies with a small commercial press.

Here’s a few tips to follow when pressing your blooms:

1) Press flowers before they expire. This is a great way to extend the life of your bouquet subscription or market bouquet. But don’t wait till the blooms are wilted. Press while there’s still a little life still in them.

2) Press individual petals and whole blooms. Play with pressing both! Larger blooms with a thick center may not work so well but smaller flowers like forget-me-nots, poppies and cosmos (to name a few) press lovely whole. I love leaving on the stems too!

3) Use a semi absorbent blotting paper on both sides of the bloom. You can purchase a blotting paper, use water color paper or even a few sheets of newspaper.

4) Press flowers by layering between blotting paper and press either using books as a weight or a commercial flower press.

5) Change blotting paper as needed while flowers dry. If you don’t, you may get some molding.

6) Make sure flowers are completely dry before removing them from the press. Store for later use (think winter art-making) or start creating something of beauty now!

Pressing whole poppies using tissue paper as a blotting medium and books as the press. These pressed beautifully. I love pressing with the stem attached!