These are the steps to harvest rosemary without killing the plant:
· Choose the right time to harvest
· Select new shoots from the plant that is at least 20cm long
· Cut the stems on about three-quarters of the plant
· Leave at least a quarter of the branch intact with as many leaves as possible
· Water the plant thoroughly
· Add some fertiliser to help the plant to recover
· Monitor your plant or bush regularly to spot any unusual development
If you have rosemary in your garden, then keep trimming some of the plants off regularly, like once a fortnight to encourage its growth. Unless you plan to dry, don’t cut more than you need. If you cut more than needed, store your fresh rosemary in an airtight container, keep it in the fridge for up to two weeks or freeze.
Rosemary will grow pretty much all season, so continue to water and feed it and it will keep giving back and you will keep having even more rosemary you can use in your recipes.
Do you have to dry rosemary before you use it?
No, you do not have to dry rosemary before you use it. When you are going to harvest rosemary, you just need to take as much as you need for your recipe. If you only need a little bit of rosemary for your recipe you just want to clip a little bit. You can use rosemary to marinate your food or cut longer and older stems to use as a skewer and put it directly on the grill.
