Trim the greens and herbs for plant health, and tasty treats

Trimming herbs and greens is helpful to the plants and encourages renewed growth. Also, the young leaves make great salads.

Greens
For spinach, just pinch leaves at the base of the leaf. Leaves should be at least four inches long. Like spinach, the best way to pick parsley, and many herbs and leafy vegetables, is to snip the whole leaf and stem at the stock.
For Swiss chard, you can twist the leaf's stem and pinch off near the ground.

Basil's a little different. You should cut the stock or branch, just above leaves, yet below the leaves you want to harvest.

Herbs
For Rosemary and sage, cut five inch branches and hang to air dry or chop and freeze herbs in ice cube trays or clumps in a freezer bag.

When to pick
Picking in the morning is the best time of day, especially for greens and herbs.
Pick leaves often to prevent the plants from bolting, or going to seed. Because once they go to seed, many of the plants lose their flavor or stop producing leaves.