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Harvest the basil just before it flowers. Cut basil leaves from the stems. Rinse the leaves well. Pat the rinsed leaves dry.
Basil will flower after all the leaves on one stem are full-grown, but the herb loses some of its flavor after flowering occurs. The flowers appear in the middle of a bunch of leaves in a pyramid shape. Plan to prep and dry basil once all the leaves have sprouted, but before you see flowers on the stems. Basil leaves have the most oil just before the plant flowers, so harvesting them at this point will ensure that the dried basil has as much flavor as possible. Harvest at mid-morning. This is the best time to harvest because the plant has been watered but the sun has dried the leaves. Separate bunches of basil leaves and cut the individual leaves from the larger stem. Separating them will help you lay them flat and clean them properly. Leave a small length of stem, no more than an inch, at the bottom of each leaf to help you bundle them and tie them together. Rinse cut basil leaves under cold water before drying them. This will remove any dirt, chemicals or other debris that may have fallen onto the leaves while growing or while being shipped if your basil is store-bought. Lay the rinsed leaves on a paper towel and gently pat them dry with a second paper towel. Removing excess moisture before drying basil will prevent molding during the drying process.