| Fresh leaves can be picked for immediate use at any time during the growing season. Evergreen herbs such as thyme can be picked throughout the year, although new growth should be given the chance to harden before winter sets in. ***If collecting from the wild, be certain of identification: it is easy to confuse plants, and some are highly poisonous. Also check the legality, as most countries have some protected species, and do not collect too much from any one plant. Do not pick any part that grow where car fumes or chemical sprays may have affected the plant. Leaves Collect in the morning, after the dew has evaporated. As the day warms up and photosynthesis gets under way, various organic components start moving around the plant system. Essential oils are concentrated in the leaves, ready to give off their protective cooling and antiseptic essence in the midday heat. To obtian the maximum potency and flavor, the leaves must be picked after some warmth has drawn up the oils but before any has escaped in the heat. Leaves are most tender and sweet when the plant is young, up to flowering time. From this point the plant's priorities change and its enrgy goes into reproduction. Pick the succulent leaves of sorrel, bistort, good King Henry, angelica, and all the salad herbs when young. This type of leaf is not generally suited to drying and should either be frozen in a cooked dish or preserved in oil or vinegar. Leaves of aromatic evergreens (rosemary, sage, thyme, savory) can be picked throughout the year but for maximum flavor collect them just before flowering. Leaves of basil, mint, marjorams and lovage hold their pungent flavors well throughout the summer but they will be sweeter if picked before flowering. with tall plants like marsh mallow, collect only the top growth. Whole Plants The best time to harvest a whole plant is just before the flowers open. If you want the green part only, cut back annuals 3 inches above the ground but take no more than a third from perennials. Flowers Flowers are best collected at midday in dry weather. Pick them just as they open fully, their moment of greatest beauty. Snip lavender flower stalks whole and pick other flowers by hand, if possible without touching the petels. Treat all flowers with great care. Avoid damaged or wilted flowers, particularly if you wish to crystalize them. Once picked, keep flowers lose in open containers, as they bruise easily and soon begin to sweat. Seeds Pick seed on a warm dry day when it is fully ripe but before it has been dispersed. it should be buff, brown or black, with no green remaining, and it should be hard, with paper-dry pods. Shake small seed into a paper bag or cut the flower head on its stalk and hang it over a tray to catch the seed. Roots Harvest roots in the fall when plant parts above ground are beginning to wither and die. This is also the time when the greatest concentration of therapeutic compounds is stored in the roots. Dig up annuals when their growing cycle has been completed at the end of the year. Gather perennial roots in their second or third year of growth. Ginseng is believed to require seven years for maturity. Carfully dig up the whole root, taking care not to bruise or cut the sections. Separate the amount required and replant the remainder. Bark Bark peels off readily in damp weather and should be collected from young branches or trunks, preferbly on trees already cut down. Trees can be killed if to much bark is taken, especially in a circle around the trunk. |
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| Harvesting Herbs |
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