I don't think cilantro tastes the same after bolting, or am I imagining it?

Can you use parsley leaves in the second year?

Does basil change taste when it bolts?

Thanks for any info!

The regular flat leaves of Cilantro should taste the same after the plant bolts, although there won't be as many of them & they won't be as lush. The fine-textured ferny leaves that develop as the plants bolt, while they do have some Cilantro flavor, definitely won't be as tasty or robust.

As far as Parsley, I only grow the Italian flat-leaf types, & those are definitely completely tasty & usable the 2nd year until the flower stalks really get going. Sometimes I cut them off to help extend the harvest somewhat; sometimes I just harvest for awhile & then just let the plants go for the Swallowtail caterpillars to enjoy & finish up while I start a new crop.

Basil remains useful after flowering, but will cease to produce new leaves, thus what's left quickly becomes somewhat sparse & ratty. But there's no reason to endure this. Simply be diligent in keeping the flowers clipped off & the plants will produce better - not as readily or robustly as spring/summer because of lowering temps & diminishing daylight hours, but better than if you left the flowers on. If you want to save seed or allow your basil to self-seed, just clip the flowers off of a few plants & allow some to go to seed. Just make sure that all the flowers you clip are all from the same plant, as leaving even a few flowers on a plant is enough to trigger it into shutting down leaf production.

I haven't found that the taste of cilantro tastes that bad after it bolts, but it is much harder to find good leaves.

I personnally found no problems with using parsley the second year.

As for basil, yes, I think the taste gets more bitter once it is allowed to flower.

As for ones that are ok after bolting, I think oregano tastes fine after it has flowered.

I think using the blooms of basil just before the blooms start to flower (I like basil vinegar or "Italian" vinaigrette) it doesn't change the flavor and the plant tends to remain healthy.