The secret to storing fresh herbs for months
Have you ever fallen in love with a bunch of beautifully fresh, vibrant parsley only to discover, two days later, a sad handful of wilted herbs gone bad too soon? There’s nothing more disappointing than a pile of pathetic greens in the veggie drawer.
Here’s the best tip ever for storing fresh herbs for a very long time:
1. As soon as you get the herbs home, remove the rubber band around the stalks and pull off all the loose, wilted bottom leaves from the stalks. (See below.)
2. Place the herbs, like a bouquet of flowers, into a drinking glass or other upright storage container.
3. Fill container with water so the stems are in the water, but the leaves are not.
4. Place glass and herbs in a plastic bag and tie loosely the top, or use a rubber band to close the top of the bag.
5. Store upright, in the refrigerator.
6. Change the water every couple of days. Be sure to remove any wilted, slimy stems when you replace the water.
I’m not kidding—I’ve had herbs stay fresh and delicious in my fridge for 7 weeks. It’s unbelievable. This method works well with all fresh leafy green herbs.
Hi Christy,
Great tip! I hate when I use half a bunch of cilantro right away, and then the remainder wilts and goes bad while it sits in the fridge and I do nothing with it…
Cheers, Pete
Hey Christy,
that’s brilliant!
Now what about lettuce? Spinach? And other leafy greens.
Any tips?
Brian
Great question Brian. It can be challenging storing leafy greens too. This method will work great for stemmed greens like kale and chard, but unfortunately most folks don’t have that kind of vertical space in the refrigerator. I’ve taken out a shelve in the fridge and tried it before— 18″ tall bouquets take up a lot of room! Here’s are some general guidelines for other greens:
Large leaf green (kale, spinach, chard)
1. Take them out of the tightly-sealed plastic bags and place them directly in your vegetable crisper. Greens like to breathe and most refrigerators these days are designed with drawers that help keep veggies fresher longer. I’ve had success with wrapping a damp paper towel around the bottoms of the stems and just closing a plastic bag around the stems. (Think about how florists give you a little vial of water on single stemmed roses.)
2. Throw out the bad stuff. If there are any wilted or grungy leaves, keep em out of the fridge. They’ll spoil the whole bunch quickly.
3. Kale lasts the longest, with spinach coming in second. Occasionally I’ve had chard last a few days, but it’s such a delicate vegetable that it doesn’t retain it’s life force for very long.
4. Eat ‘em up as soon as you can. : )
As for lettuces, including baby lettuces and micro greens, the key for longer storage is to get them out of those plastic bags and let them breathe. If you see your greens wilting slightly, sometimes you can revive them and give them an extra day or two by soaking them for a few minutes in cool water, drying and then placing them in sealed plastic. This is the only time I’ve had success with storing greens in plastic— so I use it as a last resort. But they need to be cleaned and “freshened up” before going into the zippie bag.
Let me know if that helps!
Thanks for asking.
Christy
Well… You just rock.
Thanks for the tips, and next time you’re in Seattle give me a shout
Thanks Brian!