Unlimited harvest time
The shrub basil can actually be harvested all year round. The plant just needs to have enough usable branches. In a sunny location and when it is optimal care summer is characterized by lush growth.
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That perennial shrub basil must in winter overwinter in the house, because it is not hardy. Its urge to grow is slowed down in winter quarters. Harvesting can therefore only be cautious at this time.
What is being harvested?
The young leaves of the shrub basil are the best tasting. Unwooded stems can also be processed. The flowers are also edible, but have a bitter taste. They are always a pretty, edible decoration.
This is how shrub basil is harvested
Anyone who plucks off individual leaves leaves bare stems that rarely recover from this clear cut. Therefore, only whole shoots should be harvested from the shrub basil.
- Cut the stalk with scissors or a knife
- 2-3 mm above a pair of leaves
- at least a pair of eyes should stop
- then the rest of the stem sprouts again
Tips
Harvest the basil just before you are ready to use it. If you don't need it until hours later, you can put the shoots into the water in the meantime. This will keep the basil fresh.
Increase harvest
Many shoots can be harvested from a specimen that is nicely bushy. Cut To do this, regularly reduce all new shoots to about 5 cm so that they branch out.
You should too cut off all flowerswhile they are still in the bud stage. They are beautiful to look at, but their development slows down the formation of new leaves and thus reduces the amount harvested.
Tips
Fall when cutting shrub basil Cuttings that are not only useful for the saucepan. You can easily create new plants from them multiply.
Use of the harvested shoots
That edible shrub basil can be used in many ways in the kitchen. It is impossible to imagine Italian cuisine without it. But herbal oils or teas can also be made from this herb.
Use shrub basil fresh from the bush or preserve the harvest for later use. Basil can be dried or frozen well.