How to Store Fresh Herbs

Storing Fresh Herbs

Fresh herbs turn into limp herbs pretty quickly whether you leave them on the counter or in the refrigerator. Just like fresh flowers, they need water to keep them perky. So, leave them out on the counter only if you want dried herbs, place them in the fridge with a damp paper towel around the stems if you’ll be using them shortly and enjoy them in a vase if you want them to remain fresh for longer.

Day 1:

To make this useful display for storing fresh herbs simply gather up a bouquet of various fresh herbs, you can rinse them off with cold water and then gently shake off any excess water to save time later. Then fill a vase or other displayable container about 3/4 full of cold water before placing the herb stems into the vase. Arrange them nicely to enjoy while doing the dishes or just passing through. You can then grab fresh herbs whenever cooking or when a nice garnish is desired. Exchange the water in the vase for fresh water every few days or when it begins to look murky. They will last longer if placed near the sink and away from the stove.

Preparing a picnic? Place the bouquet of fresh herbs outside on a picnic table where they will not only be fragrant and earthy, but will also be helpful as a natural mosquito repellant [1].

Day 3:

Compare our bouquet on day three to the herbs we instead placed into the refrigerator and the ones we just left out on the counter. The counter ones are drying out and the fridge ones are beginning to show some signs of age but the herb bouquet is thriving. You can expect a herb bouquet to last a few weeks on the counter, depending on which herbs used.

Day 7:

Some of the herbs will actually continue to grow when placed into water. We used parsley, basil, rosemary, chives and peppermint in our bouquet. Check out the height of the parsley in the next picture (day 7) as compared to the one at the top of this post (day 1). The very top doesn’t even fit into the picture anymore on day 7 of the bouquet!!