Herb series: Harvesting and using herbs
Ok, let’s talk about culinary and medicinal herbs! As this is quite a huge topic I decided to do a whole series of posts on herbs on the following topics:
Herb planters
Harvesting & Using Herbs
Drying & Storing Herbs
Salve Making
This time: Harvesting & using herbs!
How to harvest without harming your plants?
Rule of thumb is to harvest no more than 2/3 of an established plant. The plants need leaves to survive, if you cut all especially in fall there is a good chance your plant will die. Harvest often instead and let the plant grow back before winter. If you harvest leaves, cut low (e.g. chives, parsley etc.) but don’t hurt the base of the plants. Some plants are better picked leaf by leaf (e.g basil) but most are ok to cut full stems. As for flowers, harvest the full flower (e.g. calendula, bachelor buttons, chives) and then the pedals instead of trying to harvest pedals. This way it is a quick cut and easier on the plants.
Dried vs fresh herbs
Oils (i.e. flavour and medicinal values) are more concentrated in dried herbs. If you are used to using herbs fresh, here is an easy rule to follow for adjusting quantities when using dried herbs. Therefore it’s recommended to use only half the amount of fresh herbs and vice versa, meaning double amount fresh over dried herbs.
Freezing herbs
There is really only one herb I prefer to use dried over fresh and that is oregano. The flavour is much more intense when dried. However, there are several herbs I don’t use dried as I prefer the fresh herb very much: Basil, Cilantro, Parsley, Lovage, Chives. If you want to save these for winter I recommend to chop them and freeze them instead. Most herbs can be frozen. I always recommend cutting them finely first as it’s tough to cut them evenly when frozen. I use ziploc bags, as the herbs can be easily broken up and shaking out for cooking. Make sure you squeeze out the air as much as possible to avoid freezer burn.
Example list of herbs and what parts are used:
Leaves: basil, bee balm, celery, chervil, chives, cilantro, dill, lavender, lemon balm, lovage, marjoram, mints, oregano, rosemary, sage, savory, tarragon, thyme
Flowers: bee balm, bachelor buttons, calendula, chamomile, chives, dill, lavender, nasturtium, rose, thyme, yarrow
For medicinal herbs especially, please do your research on what part of the plants are used in what way!
And just quickly about chervil (greek, supposedly translates to “happy herb”) and lovage (“love parsely”) as they are not as common. Chervil goes well with asparagus, potatoes, leeks and zucchini. Also great in mushroom soup! Lovage is a staple in many countries and used mainly in soups and stews, mashed potatoes and sometimes in scrambled eggs.
Using herbs in salads and making tea are probably the easiest way to use herbs – fresh or dried.
Here is a little guide on what herbs to use where:
Sage goes well with… chicken and turkey, stuffing, pasta, prosciutto (Saltimbocca alla Romana!)
Mint goes well with …lamb, eggplant (moussaka!), desserts, fruit esp. strawberries! and don’t forget mojito, and mint-lime syrup!
Parsley goes well with… eggs, chicken, soups, salads especially tabbouleh!
Chives goes well with… scrambled eggs! (see below), or just on bread and butter, baked potatoes, or in your potato salad, any salad really and wherever you would use green onions …
Cilantro goes well with … Asian and Mexican dishes, salsa, eggs, beans, in salads…
Dill goes well with … fish, chicken, eggs, carrots, cucumbers, potatoes, pickles, dips…
Oregano goes well with … Italian and Greek dishes, beef, chicken, pasta, tomatoes…
Rosemary goes well with…. chicken, potatoes, pork, stews, …
Savory goes well with …. green beans, other vegetables, cheese
Tarragon goes well with … chicken, eggs, fish
Thyme goes well with … poultry, eggs, stews, vegetables like carrots, potatoes, beets…
Stay tuned for the next part of our herb series!
A link to all our herb posts is here and recipes on the blog can be viewed here.
Check out more on herbs we are selling here.