How to Cut Herbs

You can grow fresh herbs right in the kitchen.

Fresh cut herbs are an aromatic, flavorful addition to meals. When you cut herbs, you are typically harvesting the leaves, but in some cases you will harvest the flowers, seeds or roots of the plant. The most important aspect of harvesting herbs is cutting at the proper time, which is determined by the type of herb and its intended use. It's important to harvest herbs when their essential oils are most abundant. While experience will teach you to recognize the optimal time for harvesting herbs at their peak, there are a few general guidelines you can follow to pinpoint this time.

Things You'll Need

• Sharp knife or pruning shears
• Small garden spade

Instructions

1. Cut herbs that you are growing outdoors in the morning hours just after dew has evaporated from the plant. It's best not to delay until the temperature begins to warm up, as heat can degrade the essential oils of the herb. Exposure to wind and moisture also decrease the amount of essential oil present in fresh herbs, so the optimal time to harvest outdoor herbs is on a gentle summer day that has not been immediately preceded by rain.

2. Harvest leaves from herbs before the plant flowers. Once the flowers of an herb that is grown for its leaves open, the leaves will lose their flavorful intensity and take on a bitter taste. Herbs that are harvested for their flowers should also be cut before their flowers have fully opened.

3. Reap herbs grown for their seeds, like dill, fennel, coriander and caraway, as the seed heads or pods begin changing color. Using a small garden spade, dig up herbs that are grown for their roots at the end of summer or during early autumn.

4. Prune annual herbs heavily. Use a knife or shears to cut just above a leaf, leaving 4 to 6 inches of stem so the herb grows back.

5. Cut back only a third of the top growth from leafy perennial herbs when harvesting to ensure later growth. Some perennial herbs respond best when you snip off the leafy tips only.

Tips & Warnings

• Freeze or dry a surplus of herbs for later use. As long as you've harvested them at the peak of freshness, frozen and dried herbs from your own herb garden will still add excellent flavor and aroma to dishes.

References

• Savvy Gardener: Growing Herbs At Home
• Herb Gardening Guru: Harvesting Herbs
• Lesley Cooks: Harvesting and Drying Herbs
• Herbs and Growing Secrets: How to Harvest and Preserve Herbs
• University of Vermont Extension: The Herbal Harvest

Resources

• Learn 2 Grow: The Herbal Harvest