🌱 Get Growing with Chef Lola 🪴
Harvesting, storing, and cooking with homegrown basil!
Can you believe that it’s August? We’re making our back-to-school plans, and that includes figuring out what to make for packed lunches and snacks. Take our quick back-to-school reader survey and tell us about your plan for meals this fall and how we can help you cook up yummy dinners and lunches during the busy school year:
Chef Lola here, ready to talk about basil!
Have you been growing your basil plants? If you missed my first segment, you can revisit it here with some tips for choosing a basil plant, decorating your pot, and keeping your plant happy. Now, let’s get to harvesting those basil leaves to use in some recipes, like the One Potato’s Chia Seed Pesto.
When to Harvest
Alright, basil lovers, here’s the scoop. It's always best to harvest early in the day and basil is no exception. Snip your basil in the morning when the leaves are dry and the weather is still relatively cool. If you’re growing your basil plant inside, you can pick at any time since your house will likely be the same temperature all day long. And one more tip - for the best flavor, pick those leaves before any flowers start showing up.Â
How to Harvest - Always harvest fresh herbs from the top - fresh leaves will grow up underneath.Â
Pinch and Snip: Start by pinching off individual leaves right where they meet the stem, especially from the top of the plant. This keeps it looking fresh and encourages new growth.
Need More?: If you need a bunch, go ahead and trim full stems from the top down, about ¼ inch above where the leaves meet the main stem. You can use your fingers or small garden shears for thicker stems.
Don’t Overdo It: Basil is really delicate - if you pull too many leaves off at once, it will wilt! Don’t take more than a third of the plant’s height at once. Mix it up by snipping from different parts of the plant to keep it growing nice and full.
How Often to Harvest
Once your basil plant is rockin’ and rollin’, you can harvest it once a week or so. Keep it going as long as it’s still growing strong.
Other Tips
Prevent Blooming: Pinch off the top sets of leaves when the plant hits about 6 inches tall. This will stop it from flowering too soon and keep it in check.
Prune for Growth: Prune those top nodes and get rid of any flower buds you see. This helps the plant grow bushier and keeps the leaves tasty.
Stop Seeding: Pinching the tips helps prevent the plant from going to seed, which can make the leaves taste less awesome.
Storing Basil: Keep It Fresh and Tasty!
Basil is surprisingly delicate and sensitive to temperature! Have you ever witnessed your freshly purchased basil begin to brown after just two days? If it is exposed to extreme temperatures or sudden changes, the leaves will go black - and ruin any plans you may have had to use it throughout the week. Yuck!Â
Fresh Basil Storage
If you’re not ready to harvest yet and want to grab a big bushel of fresh basil from the store or farmer’s market, or if you have too much harvest and need to trim your plants, here’s how to keep it super fresh until you’re ready to use it:
BEST WAY is to store on your Windowsill: Trim the basil stems, put the bunch in a jar or glass with about an inch of water, and place on a well-lit windowsill. Change the water every few days and your basil should stay fresh for up to a week. Easy peasy!
Freeze It: Want your basil to last even longer? Freeze it! You can freeze basil with or without oil, but freezing with oil is perfect if you’re planning to use it in cooking. It keeps the moisture in and makes it super easy to add to dishes later. Blitz your basil in a food processor with olive oil to make a green paste, then store in serving-size containers. Or ya know, make a batch of Chia Seed Pesto! Yum! Â
Wrap in Paper Towel: Wrap those basil leaves in a paper towel, stick ‘em in a plastic bag, and refrigerate. This helps preserve their taste and aroma while protecting them from moisture. Simple and effective!
Store in an Airtight Container: If you’ve got chopped basil, store it in an airtight container lined with a paper towel to absorb any excess moisture. This keeps your basil fresh and ready to use.
Other leafy herbs
If you have some potted herbs inside, or out in your personal garden, here are my tips for keeping those plants happy. I'll be sharing some tips for preserving outdoor herb gardens in colder climates later in the fall. Stay tuned!
Let’s start with some harvesting tips for parsley, mint, and chives.
Parsley
Do you have a big parsley plant? Cut those leafy stems right at the base of the plant, starting with the outer stalks. This helps your plant grow bushier and produce new leaves. If your plants are on the smaller side, just cut a stem or two at a time and come back for more in about a week, or as needed.
Mint
Mint is super hearty - so you will have more success trimming the whole stem, rather than snipping individual leaves. Don’t worry, this way it will grow back bushier. And pretty fast, too! Just like basil, my favorite way to store fresh harvested mint is in small jars with a little bit of water.Â
Chives
Chives don’t like living in a pot very much. As soon as they flower - late summer - you need to cut the tops off. To harvest at the end of the season, cut one inch above the soil, and store in your freezer, using as much at a time as you need.Â
Happy harvesting!
