I think I read somewhere, probably here on DG, that some herbs don't get bitter because of flowering. My garden sage started to leaf out and then suddenly was awash with blooms! They're so pretty I hate to cut them. Is sage one of the herbs that turns bitter upon flowering? Anyone have a list?
Does flowering ALWAYS mean bitter?
I don't have a list but my rule of thumb is that I don't allow any of the herbs I eat go to flower. If I like the flowers I grow some to flower and some to eat.
Bitter is in the mouth of the taster too. Try sampling a leaf of your blooming sage and see how you like the taste. I wouldn't use basil that has set blossom for an Italian style pesto, but it works in some stir fries that way.
i just let my sage flower, because its so pretty- you can use sprinklings of flowers in salads- looks nice and tastes good. when its done flowering i cut it way back because its gotten kind of leggy by then, and fresh new leaves grow till fall and i harvest the new leaves as needed. If I want to dry sage leaves for the winter, I do it in the fall.... that's the cycle that works for me! sort of having my cake and eating it too...
That's true! The leaves may have become bitter but you can eat the flowers of almost all herbs.....
I also grow "for blooms" and "for eating" basil plants. The majority I grow as "bloomers" as they really draw the polinators. I plant the "blooming basils" all around the garden, not just in the herbs area... at some point in the summer, even the eating basil plants produce too many buds for me to keep up with pinching them, so I sheer the whole thing down to about 6 inches tall and essentially "start over."
My oregano has never bloomed, so I don't know if it gets bitter or not.
Oddly enough, I can't get sage to germinate and grow here, so I don't know if it gets bitter or not. Maybe I will buy a plant this year and check it out.