If your plants are mature plants, you can remove up to one-third of total growth at any one time - then wait for the plant to regrow before pruning/harvesting again. So if you want to harvest just enough for a meal or two - which is a little less harsh on the plant and (for you) less scary! - then just go ahead and do it.

Rig some shade for your basil & give it some mulch. Dried grass clippings work great as does used coffee grounds topped with a light layer of the clippings to prevent splash ups.

I dry oregano, thyme, rosemary, savory, lemon balm, bee balm, & mints easily in closed paper sacks inside the house. I know it's not usually recommended, but it's simple that way. I don't use my tub often, so I have the bags in the tub. Every few days I pick each bag up, open, shuffle contents, fold closed & return to the tub. I've also done smaller amounts in lunch sized paper bags put inside the dark pantry. Easy to grab & strip the stems when preparing meals even if they're not all the way dry.

This is a great month to harvest them because they'll grow back & harden that growth for winter.