Time to harvest and preserve your herbs

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

Fall is the perfect time to harvest your herbs.  You can cut them back so they remain lush, improving the tidiness of your garden, and providing herbs for the winter ahead.  Herbs are expensive in the store and you get a huge amount from just trimming back your herb plants.  Enough for you and Christmas gifts!

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. 

Time to harvest basil 

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

I dry my herbs to preserve them.  I put loosely in a paper bag in a dry, warm area out of the sun and let dry naturally.  Loose is the key here so they get good air circulation and do not mold.  They should be completely dry in about 3-4 weeks.  I like putting them in clothes closets to dry as they release such great fragrance.  Right now, my latest cuttings are in an upstairs closet.

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.

Make your own "Herbes de Provence"

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.