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07-14-2010, 01:31 PM
Re: (...)
I've got this oregano plant that insists on blooming. My basil is having to be "nipped" daily, as well. A friend, who owned an herb business, told me once that if an herb blooms, it becomes bitter. Now she could have been talking about the basil she was clipping at the time, or she may not have known what she was talking about. What do you guys know about it?
Daphne
Keep your mind wide open.
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My oregano was doing the same. Instead of nipping it, i cut it back a few inches. Not sure about it becoming bitter. I don't let it flower, as I was told all the energy will go into the blooms, rather than making it bigger and bushier.
Practice safe lunch. Use a condiment.
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I don't really know much about it at all, Daphne, except that I have used the blooms from both, (when they were very tiny) and they tasted okay to me. My basil is going crazy this year with all the heat, so I just keep pinching and dry what I can't use right away.
Maryann
"Drink your tea slowly and reverently..."
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Lorraine, that makes sense, since earlier today I had more blooms than oregano leaves. I cut it back, but saved the blooms. I'm gonna dry them and taste to see if they'll work as well as the leaves. We'll see. Especially since Maryann says she uses the blooms, too. Interestingly, when I lifted the runners up to clip it, I discovered there were a bunch of little oreganos under there. I guess it reseeded itself?
Thanks for the info ladies.
Daphne
Keep your mind wide open.
I have both, Daphne, and I haven't noticed any bitterness on either. I am pinching mine everyday and we use one or the other everyday even if it is just to put on the grill beside whatever meat Mister is grilling.
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I'm like Lorraine, I cut back when any of the herbs begin blooming, but I do use some of the blooms before discarding them all. A little stronger.
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Thanks for confirming, Sonja.
Daphne
Keep your mind wide open.
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If they do get away on me, I do use the flowers, especially in a dish like soup.
Practice safe lunch. Use a condiment.