Taking terumot and ma’aserot from herbs in advance
Question
I grow herbs (thyme, rosemary, basil, etc.) and use them as seasoning. We actually eat them; they don’t only provide a flavor. How am I supposed to go about taking terumot and ma’aserot from them? Each time I pick a small bunch of leaves, so I would set aside less than a leaf? For example: how much am I supposed to take from the 2-3 basil leaves that I add to the spaghetti sauce?
Answer
You should set aside terumot and ma’aserot without a blessing, since most people use these herbs for seasoning, but dispose of them. It is also possible to set aside terumot and ma’aserot ahead of time (say, every Sunday). In this case, you recite the text for taking terumot and ma’aserot ahead of time (as it appears in Hilchot Ha’aretz, p. 58), setting aside more than 1% of the total amount of herbs you will use for the entire week. The following week, take terumot and ma’aserot for the projected amount of herbs you will use again, and so forth.