Essential and Nonessential Tools for the Beginner Herbalist
Having the right tools is foundational in any venture. When I was new to herbalism I worked with what I already had in my kitchen and I got by. Sometimes it was messy or inefficient - but it was doable. Since then I’ve invested in a few items that, while not 100% necessary, sure have made my life a lot easier! I’ve compiled a list of the items I find myself using the most. Some are common kitchen items you likely already have, others might inspire you to go out and find one for yourself. I’ve also included a few items I spent money on that I actually wouldn’t recommend for a beginner.
Here are the tools that have earned a permanent spot in my herbal kitchen.
Stainless Steel Electric Kettle
I held off on one of these for years because I was convinced I didn’t need it. I can just boil water on the stove! My Nonna didn’t have one! I don’t remember what inspired me to finally get an electric kettle, but I am hooked. It allows me to quickly heat up just the right amount of water for my tea. I didn’t realize how much I would appreciate the ease of having a spout to pour from instead of pouring boiling water from a pot. It just makes making tea much easier and therefore I drink more of it. Note: Unfortunately many electric kettles have plastic on the inside. We want to avoid plastic coming in contact with the boiling water we’re going to then… drink. Make sure you look for a kettle that is entirely stainless steel on the inside.
Glass or Stainless Steel French Press
Most people are familiar with using a french press for coffee. Let me introduce to you the idea of french press tea! Simply put your loose tea in the french press, fill with hot water (that you can heat up nice and fast with your electric kettle - ha!), put the lid on and let it steep. Once done steeping you push down the plunger and easily strain your tea out. I love my french press so much that when I graduated from the 3 year clinical herbalism program at Arbor Vitae, I gave away french presses as the party favor. I prefer loose teas because tea bags can contain microplastics so sometimes I’ll cut open tea bags and pour the contents into the french press. Note: As with the kettle - you want to look for one that has no plastic coming in contact with the water. Glass and stainless steel are the best choices. Look closely, I’ve noticed that sometimes the piece that holds the mesh strainer in place is plastic!!
Mason Jars and reusable lids
Versatile. Cute. Affordable. I am so grateful to John Landis Mason for inventing the mason jar!! I use these bad boys for everything from steeping tea, making tinctures, infusing honeys, storing dried herbs, storing leftovers, storing iced teas in the fridge and more. There are at least 4 mason jars of various sizes being used in my fridge at any given moment. I just checked - today it’s a half gallon jar of water, a half gallon jar of iced tea, a quart of sauerkraut, a small jar with homemade jam, and a quart of leftover tea.The metal lids and rings can get funky over time and shouldn’t be used to store alcohol or vinegar - so I also suggest investing in reusable lids.They fit perfectly into the idea of functional decor - I love having a shelf in my kitchen of my most used loose teas all stored in mason jars. It warms my heart to see.
Mesh Strainer
This got more use before I invested in a french press but it’s still something I consider indispensable. I use it to strain cups of tea when I make them in a pot on the stove. I make tea on the stove if it needs to simmer rather than steep, or if I’m making more than a quart at a time. This is what I use to strain small amounts of tinctures, as well as infused herbal honeys. It’s convenient and easy to clean. Again - go with all stainless steel so that you’re free to use it with both hot and cold things.
Cheesecloth
You can strain tinctures and honeys without this, but dang can it make life easier. Cheesecloth lets you really squeeze out every drop of goodness when straining something. To strain a small amount of tincture, I don’t always break out the cheesecloth. But with anything more than a couple ounces - cheesecloth is a game changer. When you’ve done all the work to make a tincture yourself, you want to get as much of that herbal goodness out and into your final product as possible.
Chopsticks
I’ve never bought any, but I always save the unused ones that come with takeout. Chopsticks are so useful for getting air bubbles out when making things like sauerkraut, tinctures, infused honeys, etc. Air bubbles are to be avoided to prevent molding. Chopsticks are therefore a free but very beloved item in my herbalist toolbelt. Another way I use them is when I need to reduce something by half on the stove. At the start, I put a chopstick in and make a little notch in the wood to show the height of the liquid. I make a second notch halfway down and then periodically use the chopstick to check if the liquid has reduced down to the halfway mark. This is great when making things like elderberry syrup.
Of course, not everything is a winner. Here are a few tools I wouldn’t rush to buy as a beginner herbalist:
Coffee Grinder
This can be useful for powdering herbs, and especially for breaking up roots and seeds. But truthfully, I’ve only used it a handful of times. You can absolutely get by without it.
Tincture Press
Baby herbalist Caterina asked for this for Christmas. Grown up herbalist Caterina is lovingly gifting it to a friend. A tincture press is great for straining out tinctures if the volume is large enough. The routine I’ve settled into is making small batch tinctures - just enough for myself and my loved ones. And for that, the tincture press just isn’t needed. It’s more work to set it up and clean it than to just strain them by hand. A beginner herbalist making small tinctures definitely doesn’t need it.
Dehydrator
I will say - I love my dehydrator. I got it off facebook marketplace for a great price and it sees a ton of use in the spring and summer months. I love to grow and dry my own herbs - calendula, tulsi, mint, violet, etc. But a dehydrator is an investment and it takes up a lot of space. I wouldn’t rush into getting one. There are many more accessible ways to dive into herbalism.
You don’t need fancy tools to start exploring herbalism — just curiosity and a few kitchen basics. The rest, you’ll collect over time as your practice grows.