How do you harvest herbs like basil? Do you just take the leaves or do you cut the entire stock?

Question

I have potted basil, sage, mint, and cilantro. Just wondering how to use them.

Answer 1

Basil: is an annual and will have to be replaced each year. Pinch off what you need and keep pinching to encourage bushiness and keep it from seeding. Pinch down the stalk to the next set of leaves.
Basil is used for pesto, good in potato salad, and stir fries. Basil is best fresh but can be kept in the fridge in a baggie for a while.
Sage: is a perennial and will come back bigger and prettier each year. Just take what you need by pinching off the leaves and it's okay to let it flower. Sage is used to flavor roasts and other meat products. Cut some sage, bundle it, let it dry naturally and you will have it for your meats and stews.
Mint: is a perennial and will grow like weeds. Take what you need when you need it. You can take leaf or stalk. Mint is good in teas. You can put a leaf in your tea or water or you can dry your mint and use it for tea. Also, used in potato salad and deserts.
Cilantro: is an annual and you keep it pinched back to encourage growth. Grows rapidly so you can pinch stalk and all. If you let cilantro flower it will likely reseed itself for next year. Cilantro is commonly used in Italian cooking or salsa. Use it fresh or dried.
Hope this helps.

Answer 2

Looks to me like this is an article you need to read - its
explains about how pruning is a must.




How & When to Prune Your Herbs

www.askthisherbman.com [e-mail]

There seems to be very little info on when and how much to prune our herbs.

I have a little formula that I now use that may help you to have healthier and productive plants. To tell you the truth, I did not practice this myself until I started to experiment with pruning the rosemary, lavender, sage and thyme. What a difference I saw in this timely pruning!

As new growth begins in the spring and gets to 6 to 12 inches, cut 1/3 from the top down on each stem, SPARE NO ONE! This will be done every 3 weeks or less, depending on how much you use the plant.

Don't go over 3 weeks without cutting it, even if you don't need to use it!

Make an herbal vinegar, freeze, give away or if scented, place in old stocking, tie in a knot and put into your dryer, clothes drawers, closets, car ashtrays, car pillows, etc.

Basil is a must for constant pruning. It also keeps the plant from becoming too woody.

Don't let it flower for more flavorful leaves. You can slow the flowering down a little more (especially basil ) by cutting 3 pairs of leaves below the flower heads.
The cilantro must be cut regularly to keep from going to seed so quickly. The best varieties are "santo and slo bolt". They will give you more leaf production. It also hates too much water and high humidity, They like early morning sun and evening shade.

Answer 3

I cut the tops off of my basil and they regenerate leaves from the stock. You can cut mint just about anywhere and you will get another runners. Cilantro and parsely also will sprout new leaves from their stocks, but sage seems like it doesn't.

Answer 4

You can do both. Never let your basil go to seed. Clip off any buds, otherwise, your plant will become stragly & die off. This way your plant will grow most of the summer and you will have a bigger harvest.

Answer 5

With all the herbs I grow you can leave the plant and just take what you need for the meal you are preparing. In fact I let my plants go to seed and the following year they return without me having to plant them.

Have fun!

Answer 6

Don't cut plants, just leaves. They will produce more! Just pick what you need to use or if storing for future use, pick leaves and let dry, then store. Fresh herbs are more aromatic than store bought, and you'll love them.