Multicolor sage |
September 17, 2023
End of summer is a great time to tidy garden beds and harvest herbs. Herbs have a tendency to take a walk on the wild side. As the days get shorter, growth slows and before long the sun cannot support all the greenery from summer.
Rosemary |
For soft herbs like chives and garlic chives, I cut around the outside. You can either then dry or freeze your cuttings. Soft herbs don't retain as much of their flavor when dried.
For basil, I keep a pot indoors over the winter to have basil whenever I need it. I do harvest basil during the summer and fall to make pesto. It just doesn't retain much flavor when dried. Pesto is a great way to preserve your basil. I freeze in freezer bags and have a quick meal ready to go anytime.
For rosemary, you can trim the bush into a more pleasing shape or just take the outer third of growth. I have not been successful in finding a rosemary that survives outside in my Zone 6 region. By winter, I will harvest all the limbs so I don't waste any of that great flavor. Rosemary is perfect with lamb, on potatoes, or on cheese bread.
For sage, savory, and thyme, I simply trim them into a healthy shape. For basil, oregano and marjoram, I remove about a third of the top growth. Basil also will not survive even a frost. So when they call for frost, I harvest all that is left on the plant.
Thyme |
Once dried, remove the leaves from woody herbs and store in an airtight container out of direct sunlight. If a soft herb like chives, you can just crumble into the airtight container. I use wide mouth canning jars or freezer bags for herb storage.
I also keep a gallon freezer bag of a mix of all the herbs in my garden to use in sauces, on meats, in soup, stews, just about anything I cook. It's a favorite request of family and friends for their own pantry.
If the winter is not a bad one, most perennial herbs like chives, oregano, sage, savory, and thyme can be harvested year round straight from the garden.
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