When talking about aerial parts of a plant, we are referring to any part of an herbaceous plant that grows above the ground. This can include leaves, stems and flowers. This does not usually refer to the bark of a tree.
Harvesting the aerial parts is not difficult and requires very simple tools. A sharp knife or scissors – both of which should be clean – can be used.
The best time to harvest leaves and flowers is after the dew is gone, but before the heat of the sun. If you’re taking flowers, you can either clip below the flower head or pinch the flower off with your fingers.
With leaves, I usually clip the entire stem and “garble” the leaves after they’re dry if I’m hanging them up. If I’m using my dehydrator or screen, I garble before drying.
What does garble mean?
Garbling means to separate the parts you want to keep from the parts that you won’t be needing. For instance, separating the leaves from the stem or separating unhealthy looking leaves from the healthy looking ones.
