The Best Time Of Day To Harvest Herbs For The Most Flavor

If you've ever snipped fresh basil for pasta or added mint to lemonade, you know there's nothing like homegrown herbs. We all dream of wandering through our gardens and picking a bit of this or that, but timing does matter when harvesting your herbs. Picking at the right time of day can dramatically boost both flavor and potency. Herbs hold the highest concentration of essential oils in the morning, right after the dew has dried. In cooler temperatures overnight, plants recover from daytime stress and retain more of the aromatic oils that give herbs their distinctive taste and fragrance. If you harvest too late in the day, when the sun and heat have evaporated much of these oils, you end up with less flavorful sprigs. Of course, you can harvest anytime, but you may miss out on the herb's full potential.

This doesn't mean getting up at first light to get the most out of your herb harvest. Plan to harvest around mid-morning, before the heat of the day arrives. This timing allows dew to evaporate, which could otherwise promote mold or wilting during storage, but is still before temperatures rise. Herbs are wonderfully forgiving, but paying attention to details like harvest time is what transforms a regular harvest into a fantastic one. Picking herbs in an earlier, cooler part of the day provides the most concentrated flavor. Also, be sure to harvest before the plants start blooming. Some herbs can become bitter or bland after blooming, and blooms signal to all herbs to produce fewer leaves, which impacts harvest amounts.

Along with timing your harvest, the way you harvest herbs can have a big impact. When harvesting, cut your herb just above a leaf node, creating a place where new stems will form. This form of careful cutting promotes the growth of future leaves. The secret to harvesting mint or other fast-growing herbs is to do so frequently to keep them from becoming overgrown and less productive. One of the biggest mistakes gardeners make with their kitchen herb gardens is not harvesting from them often enough. Leafy herbs in general respond best to frequent light harvesting to encourage healthier growth.

Always use clean, sharp scissors or pruners to avoid crushing stems or introducing disease. While harvesting in the morning boosts flavor, using proper technique preserves that quality until you are ready to use it. Gentle handling prevents bruising, which can release oils too soon and shorten storage life. Properly trim and store your garden herbs by loosely bundling and hanging them in a well-ventilated, dark room. You can also use a dehydrator or an oven on its lowest setting to dry them. This preserves both color and flavor.