Harvesting herbs

[Anonymous]

When I want to use some oregano, parsley, cilantro, etc., do I pick off individual leaves, or snip off an entire "branch" ?

[Katra]

Depends on how you want to use it... :-)

For some, slow cooked recipes, I tend to get lazy. I'll snip a small branch (6" or so) and just lay the herbs on top of the roast or pot roast recipe in the pan, then remove it after the meal is cooked. The herb flavor cooks into the recipe and it's quick and easy.

If I want to use the fresh herbs in sauces or on fried chicken etc., I'll pick off the individual leaves after rinsing the herbs off, then mince them fine with my chinese knife.

Sometimes for sauces, I cheat! I'll put the whole leaves into the food processer with some canned or fresh peeled tomatoes and let it whirl for a bit until the leaves are chopped fairly fine.

Have fun!!!!! :-)

[Jacqueline Cahoon]

I'm curious - you leave the de-leafed branch on the plant? Does it then leaf out again? I always snip the branch, and then remove the leaves at a later point, usually while other things are cooking.

I also like to remove branches rather than leaves because some herbs need to be pruned back a bit to keep them from getting scrawny or from going to seed to quickly.

[Katra]

No, I don't leave the stripped branch on the plant. :-) I snip off the branch I want to use into a collander and rinse it well before de-leafing.

I'm told to keep the rosemary twigs by one of the chef's a work, then use them for kebab skewers as that will impart a rosemary flavor to the kebab items. I've not tried it yet, but my rosemary is getting large enough and mature enough to try that soom.

Or taking over their area of the herb garden......

Kat

[Jacqueline Cahoon]

-snipped-

Ah, the light bulb coms on! I misunderstood at what point you removed the leaves. Silly me - I had visions of you standing in the garden, carefully removing one leaf at a time! I didn't want to say anything, but I thought "Wow, Kat has *way* too much time on her hands" :-)

[Katra]

I'll only do that sometimes with basil...... but those are larger leaves!