What is the reason why is my basil bitter? If you have just cut and dried your own basil, did you put the dried leaves on a plate or container of your choice? Unfortunately if you just dried your basil plant and make seeds, pruning won’t bring your fresh basil buds to get more sweet again. Only once at that point it’s impossible to go back
You can minimize the bitterness of the leaves by trimming them off the plant and preserve (or eat) them later when you can. You are lucky if you have an established plant to begin with and trimming it away won’t kill it. Most of the time, though, you need to remove all the leaves of your plant to avoid souring it. If your plant has lots of flowers and seed on it, you may find that you don’t even want to eat it! If you want to cut off the bitter ends, you will want to be sure you cut it close enough to the main stem so that it is easier to pick up.
When you get closer to frost, you should move all your plants inside. All but one or two should be kept alive just in case they start to die back when the temperatures start to drop. If you have a large plant like an epiphany or an orchid, you may want to keep it outdoors during the frost. Even if your herb garden plants are fine, try not to plant any of the main stem herbs until after the last frost. This is especially true of rosemary and parsley.
If you have a large plant like a basil, try pruning some of the flowering buds to provide room for the flower buds to bloom. By removing the flowering buds, you do not have to wait for them to bloom before you harvest the leaves. If you do prune the flowers, however, be sure to be very careful. If the flowers are brittle, they could break off while you are pruning and injure you or your children.
If the leaves of your plants have turned a darker red, there could be bacteria growing on the leaves of the plant. You should remove and burn the basil bush if this problem occurs. Also, be sure to clean and rinse your kitchen and countertops thoroughly with a sanitizer. If you do not have a sink, you should use a spray bottle with water to wash your hands before touching any of the plants to avoid spreading bacteria.
Most plants will produce a black type of powder. You should check the basil leaves for this powder. It will be present if the basil plant has been allowed to grow to its full height. The reason the leaves become black is because the plant tries to escape the weather. When it gets colder, it turns the foliage black by soaking up the moisture with its leaves.
You may notice that the basil leaves are slightly bitter when you taste them. This is a good sign that the plants have not been dried out completely. If the leaves are hard and bitter, the herb probably did not have enough sun exposure. Too much sunlight, or being exposed at too great a distance from a building, can cause plants to go dormant and never produce any fruit or vegetables.
Finally, check the stems of the basil. If they are distorted and bent, the basil was probably overripe. When the herb is picked while the stems are still green, it will produce large, bitter tasting leaves. Pruners can be used to cut the stems back to desired length.
