Content
- Harvest and process rosemary
- Harvest rosemary late in the morning or at noon
- Harvest also serves the care
- Peel off rosemary needles
- Processing of freshly harvested rosemary
- Tips & Tricks
Harvest and process rosemary
Rosemary can, properly cared for and placed in a good location, grow quite well to a handsome bush of about two meters in height. For optimum care, however, also includes the right harvest of rosemary needles. We show you what is important.
Previous article Rosemary - The proper care of Mediterranean spice Next article Successfully multiply rosemaryHarvest rosemary late in the morning or at noon
The right harvest time depends on how you want to use the rosemary afterwards. Rosemary, which should be dried or frozen, is best cut off in the late morning or at lunchtime. In addition, it should be a dry, sunny day so that there is no excess moisture on the leaves. At this time, any morning dew is also already dried. Moisture, especially when drying the rosemary, quickly leads to mold growth. Furthermore, rosemary contains the highest concentration of aromatic essential oils at this rather late time of day. Rosemary for immediate use, however, can be harvested at any time of the day.
Harvest also serves the care
Rosemary is a perennial shrub whose shoots are prone to lignification and thus to balding. For this reason, the young, still green branches must be cut regularly. Finally, fresh shoots do not drift out of the old wood. Consequently, the harvest also serves the cut care, which is why you should cut as possible not only individual branches or needles, but whole branches as close as possible to the lignified part of the plant. The cut is done with a sharp, clean knife or a pair of scissors.
Peel off rosemary needles
The rosemary needles can either be cut off the stem with a nail scissors or, with considerably less effort, after the entire branch has been frozen first. The frozen needles can easily be wiped off, but you should hurry up - the plant parts thaw very quickly. Freezing does not affect the taste of rosemary.
Processing of freshly harvested rosemary
After harvesting, work the rosemary as fast as possible to preserve as many volatile volatile oils as possible. If possible, use the whole needles, because by crushing a lot of flavor is lost. The same applies to dried or otherwise preserved rosemary, which should preferably only be ground, cut or rubbed shortly before use. Freshly harvested rosemary can be used either directly or through
be preserved. Preserved rosemary should be stored in a dark place, as the sun's rays attack the sensitive essential oils. Use only strong green, healthy and undamaged needles. Withered and dried leaves are better to dispose of.
Tips & Tricks
In addition to the regular clearing in the course of the harvest - be sure to pruning the rosemary shrub as evenly as possible and to remove too close stems - takes place in the spring a shape cut, in which the plant can be cut back vigorously. This measure serves both the maintenance of health and the rejuvenation. In the autumn, however, a Mediterranean herb such as rosemary is not pruned.
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