These tips on when and how to glean marjoram will ensure you pick the tasty leave .
Marty Baldwin
Like many other culinary herbs , oregano is leisurely to growin garden beds or containerson a cheery windowsill . However , it ’s important to know when and how to harvest oregano aright if you want to get the sound smell out of these aromatic industrial plant . The backsheesh below will serve you reap the well - smack marjoram for drying or fresh eating . Plus , find out how to salt away your herb so they last as long as possible to flavor your favoritepasta saucesand more .
Credit:Marty Baldwin
When to Harvest Oregano
As acut - and - come in - again herbaceous plant , oregano can be reap throughout the class as needed . Typically , oregano is harvested in bound or summer , but it stay green in winter in many area and can even be harvest when there ’s snow on the ground .
Oregano does n’t last long in the fridge , so it ’s best to pick a few sprigs right when you necessitate them . Then , plan to harvest a larger quantity of marjoram for drying or freezing just before the plant flowers .
For peak flavor , harvest oregano plant in early dawn , straightaway before the works flush . This is when oregano ’s comestible leaves , tender stem , and develop prime bud contain the highest concentration of sapid oils . Oregano can be harvested later in the season , but its smack alter a little after unfolding , and its leave can become virulent in hot atmospheric condition .
Tips for Harvesting Oregano
Oregano flora are ready to glean when they ’re at least 4 inches magniloquent and have mountain of salubrious stems and leaves . The upper , tender offshoot of pot marjoram have the best flavor , but all parts of oregano plants are edible .
Harvesting for Cooking : To glean a few sprig of oregano for cooking , use your fingers or a clean twain of scissor hold to pinch off the supply ship top of the stems . Make the cuts about two - one-third of the direction down each fore and just above a leafage node to encourage branching . Then , mould your way around the plant , snip and harvesting until you have the stems you need , and the industrial plant has an even spare .
Harvesting for Preserving : To reap a bombastic quantity of oregano for preserving , gather about 15 wild marjoram stem in one hand , thin out the stems two - thirds of the mode down with clear scissors , and then guarantee the cut halt with a rubber stripe . Repeat this outgrowth as you wreak around the oregano industrial plant until you have the quantity of oregano you need . Avoid harvesting more than a third of the plant at one sentence ; overharvesting can have plant stress and pathetic growth .
How to Store Oregano
After harvesting , bring the refreshing marjoram indoors as soon as possible to forestall the cut stem from wilting . Use oregano immediately after harvest or store it for later usance . superfluous moisture speed up up decomposition , so only wash oregano just before you use it , and avoid washing Origanum vulgare that you intend to hive away or teetotal .
Fresh oregano can be keep in the crisper drawer for about a week by storing oregano stems in a zip - top storage bag with a damp paper towel . you may also store oregano in the electric refrigerator by target the cut stem in a glass with about an inch of water — likecut flowers . For better results , place a charge card baggie over the top of the oregano leaf to lock in humidity , and replace the weewee day by day to keep everything fresh .
Dried oregano has a more acute flavour than fresh oregano leaves , so you ’ll need even less of it in your recipes .
For longer storage , immobilize whole or chop oregano leavesin ice cube trays with water . Oregano stems are soft to cling wry or dryusing a dehydrator or an ovenset on its miserable mise en scene .
Drying Homegrown Oregano
To hang dry oregano , loosely cluster the stems with a synthetic rubber band and hang them upside down in a affectionate , dark , ironical place with salutary flow of air . When the leaves are in full dried and easy to fall apart with your finger , uncase out the prow and lay in the leaves whole in airtight container . Because ground herbs lose their look faster than whole herbs , it ’s in force to grind up your oregano allow just before you use them .
Frequently Asked Questions
If you have more marjoram than you’re able to use fresh , you’re able to immobilize or dry it and store it in your spice cabinet . Oregano can also be used to make homemade pasta and pizza sauce , chimichurri , and pesto . For an unexpected twist , brew oregano leave intohot or cold-blooded herbal afternoon tea .
Many growers lift back oregano bloom because flowering change the relish of the leaves . However , oregano bloom are highly attractive to pollinators and other beneficial insects , and plants in blush are more useful forcompanion plantingand blighter control . Flowering is also essential if you want tocollect oregano seeds .
The best direction to keep oregano plants productive is to harvest small quantity of staunch throughout the time of year . Cutting stem right above a folio node encourages ramify and new growth , but never harvest more than one - third of your plant at one time .
