How to harvest rosemary to use fresh or for drying

You may include rosemary in your herb garden each year, or tuck it into your containers as an ornamental, but do you know how to harvest rosemary to get the best flavor? The chemical compounds that give the rosemary plant its signature aroma are at peak levels during certain points in the plant’s life cycle. Whether you want just a few fresh rosemary sprigs or you plan to dry and store rosemary for long-term use, learn how to properly harvest this fragrant herb.

Why grow rosemary

Avid cooks routinely use rosemary to flavor everything from soups and stews to salads and sauces. Since rosemary is said to naturally aid digestion, it’s traditionally paired with fatty meats like lamb. You can also incorporate it into your favorite chicken dish, with carrots and other vegetables, and even in beans. There are, of course, also classics like rosemary-infused olive oil and rosemary garlic butter, made with a mix of rosemary, thyme, parsley, sage, and other herbs.

Quick tips for growing

Here are some pointers for growing healthier, more fragrant rosemary plants (find more rosemary growing tips here):

• Is rosemary annual or perennial? Native to the Mediterranean, this evergreen shrub can be a perennial herb in herb gardens in the south (zones 8 and up). But, if you have prolonged freezing temperatures, treat your rosemary plants like tender perennials or grow them in a pot you can overwinter indoors.
• Plant in well-draining soil: Rosemary hates wet feet, so make sure pots and soil offer adequate drainage. To avoid root rot, allow this drought-tolerant plant to dry out completely between watering sessions.
• Pest patrol: Most insect pests leave strong-smelling rosemary leaves alone. Still, it doesn’t hurt to check for pests periodically and hand-pick them as needed.
• Add lime: Conditioning your soil with lime-rich matter produces slightly smaller but more fragrant plants.

How to know when rosemary is ready to cut

You can harvest rosemary at any time. There are a couple of reasons to trim your rosemary plants, including when you want to do a basic pruning or when harvesting.

Pruning: Pruning your plants promotes healthier, bushier growth. Rosemary is ready to prune after it has flowered. Snip off its spent flowers and prune away some of the new growth just above the woody section of each rosemary stem. If you like, you can use the sprigs of rosemary that you’ve removed to propagate new plants. You can also use these cuttings in any recipe calling for fresh rosemary.

Trimming for culinary use: If you want to know how to harvest rosemary for maximum flavor and storage potential, the advice is a little different. Instead of cutting plants after they’ve flowered, cut rosemary before its flowers are fully formed and open. It’s at this point that the plant’s volatile oils are at their peak.

How to harvest rosemary for fresh use

Need fresh herbs for a quick garnish? Here’s how to harvest rosemary to use fresh. Using clean, sharp scissors or light-duty gardening shears, cut no more than one third of any one rosemary plant at a time. Avoid cutting or damaging the woody stems. Instead aim for the softer, springy portions of the stem located just above the woody sections.

How to harvest rosemary for drying

If you’d rather dry rosemary than use it fresh, you’ll need to keep moisture levels to a minimum. That means harvesting well after the morning dew has evaporated, so that the plant’s leaves are dry to the touch.

As with fresh harvesting, cut no more than one third of any plant at once. (One exception to this rule? If you intend to treat your rosemary plants as annuals, in which case you could harvest entire plants at once.)

Rather than washing or rinsing the leaves you’ve harvested, use a dry brush or dry paper towels to remove any visible debris. For the best flavor and potency, begin actively drying your herbs immediately after harvesting.

Making multiple harvests

You can use the cut-and-come-again method to harvest rosemary, provided you don’t cut too much off of any one plant at once. Remember to avoid cutting into the woody parts of your plants’ branches and snip only those portions of stem that are soft and springy.

Also, while you can harvest rosemary during and after blooming, its flavor may differ from that of pre-flowering harvests.

How to keep the harvest fresh

Now that you know how to harvest rosemary, what about keeping your harvest as fresh as you can for as long as possible? When stored in airtight containers, fresh rosemary can keep in the fridge for a week or two. For longer storage, you can chop and freeze small quantities.

Tips for drying

Drying herbs in the oven can degrade the quality of the herb. Instead air-dry rosemary in a warm, dark, dust-free place. First, arrange sprigs on a clean screen, leaving space between them to prevent mold, or loosely gather and hang herbs in paper bags. The leaves will take about two weeks to dry. Alternatively, you can use a food dehydrator set on low for several hours.

Your rosemary plants will thrive in well-draining pots or garden soil and prefer to dry out completely between waterings. Depending on your climate, you may be able to grow it outdoors year-round or you may need to shelter it inside for the winter. Either way, your kitchen can be well-stocked with fresh and dried rosemary.

More herb-harvesting tips

Discover tips and techniques for harvesting:

• Lemongrass
• Cilantro
• Oregano
• Chives