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Thinning out herbs

If you need to add a long-stemmed herb (tarragon, mint, verbena, thyme, etc.) to a recipe, you'll probably only need the leaves and not the stem, so you'll need to remove the leaves.

Leaf removal means keeping only the beautiful leaves, and eliminating the ugly stems and leaves, but how do you do it quickly?

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Last modified on: August 8^th 2025

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Thinning out herbs

How do you do it?

Logically, it's simple, if a little time-consuming: you remove, one by one, the most beautiful leaves, which you add or use in your recipe, and you throw the rest in the composter.
Of course, if you've got a lot of branches to deal with - a handful of basil for a pesto, for example - it's a real pain in the ass...

Can you do it faster?

Yes, because there's a trick, a precise gesture that makes it possible to do it very quickly. Here's an example with verbena:

1) Remove and discard any leaves that are not quite green.

2) Pick the leaves just for your recipe, to do this pinch the sprig and pull from top to bottom, in a second all the leaves are in your hand.
Note that it's important to start at the top and work your way down, as the other way round the leaves will resist.

3) Keep only the leaves, send the stems to compost (if possible).

To sum up: To remove the leaves from a long-stemmed herb, there's no need to go leaf by leaf. Just pinch and pull, from top to bottom.

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