HARVESTING HERBS
In general, harvest only the herbs you need and handle what you cut as
little as possible so that volatile oils are not released. Gather herbs
after the dew has cleared on a dry day. For flavor, harvest leaves before
noon; for fragrance, harvest after noon when oils are most pungent. Move
the cuttings out of the sun as soon as possible to protect them. If you
gather several herbs, keep each type separate to avoid mixing flavors
and aromatic oils.
Herbs that send up slender grass-like spears directly from roots - chives,
lovage, parsley - require that whole spears be cut. Cut just above the
ground level from the outside of the plant so you won't leave unsightly
stubble or yellowing leaf tips.
For immediate culinary use, cut fresh sprigs or pinch back tender young
tips of herbs at any time during the growing season. Snip annuals a few
inches above the ground so that some leaves remain to give energy for
continued growth. Pinch perennials a few inches off the tip of each branch.
This process promotes new growth and shapeliness.
For drying annual herbs, cut the entire plant unless a second harvest
is possible or seeds are desirable. For drying perennial herbs, leave
one third or more of the plant. To protect essential oils in flowers to
be dried, cut them below the blossom just before or as soon as they open
when they are at their best.
To collect seed for kitchen use or for planting during the next season,
timing is important. Wait until the seedheads have become dry and the
seeds themselves are mature and have lost their green color, about one
month after flowers appear. All seeds are harvested in the same manner
as caraway.
In autumn, harvest roots and bulbs when the top growth has dried down
and they have the maximum amount of stored food. Dig them up for fresh
or dried use.
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