285819 Wed Jun 14 11:29:32 -0700 2006 16 31 Home Cooking 0 1531674 It seems that whenever I buy herbs, particularly parsley and basil, they seem to go bad very quickly. I've tried putting them in a vase like flowers and keeping them out of the fridge but they go limp quickly and just lose it. I have tried cutting the roots off (on the basil) or leaving them on and it makes no difference. If I put them in the vegetable bin it's not much better if at all. How do you store your fresh herbs and how long do they stay? Wed Jun 14 11:29:32 -0700 2006 0 Joyce Goldstein 1 1531679 I wrap the unwashed herbs in absorbant white paper towels, and put the wrapped herbs in a zip lock bag. Stored in the fridge, they last at least a week. Wed Jun 14 11:33:47 -0700 2006 1531674 0 sally from LA 2 1531685 it depends on how much you have and how wet (or dry) they are to start. I like the paper towel idea. If the herbs are a little dry to start, use a damp paper towel. I would also experiment with the zip lock as well. I will often wrap them in a lightly dampend cloth or paper towel and put them in a bag, but not seal the bag. Then lay them flat. It's all about controling the moister content. Wed Jun 14 11:45:33 -0700 2006 1531679 0 shameless 1 1531684 I grow lots of herbs--basil is the tricky one. Either out of the fridge or in (where it often turns black), I find it doesn't have the same quality after three days. (Try growing your own basil for the season, if you can.) Wed Jun 14 11:44:44 -0700 2006 1531674 0 Funwithfood 1 1531692 I'm surprised about the basil. I usually put it in a glass of water on the kitchen counter and it lasts weeks, often growing roots. I don't start with the roots on. Like flowers, you have to change the water. If I don't want roots, I snip a bit from the bottom stems every now and then like flowers to make sure the stems don't close off and are still absorbing water. However, this is farmers market basil and I snip some of the bottom stems off just before putting it in the glass. Never bought basil from a supermarket. What type of parsley, Italian or curly? The curley variety seems to last a long time in a plastic bag that isn't closed. You have given me a new project to test out the glass jar method of food preservation. Wed Jun 14 11:55:42 -0700 2006 1531674 0 rworange 2 1531710 The basil was some I bought at a fruit/vegetable stand up in the Catskills near my sister's weekend house. The parsley I buy is almost always flat leaf. Don't know why...just got into buying that rather than the other. Hmmmm another interesting question -- the benefits/differences of one type of parsley to the other. Wed Jun 14 12:31:35 -0700 2006 1531692 0 Joyce Goldstein 1 1531693 For flat leaf parsley, I wash and dry the bunch. Then wrap them in a few layers of paper towels and put it back in the plastic bag they came in. If the paper towels get too wet, I replace them. It usually lasts at least a week, if not more, this way. Wed Jun 14 11:58:39 -0700 2006 1531674 0 Evan 1 1531694 I've been using Rachael Ray's tip with good success: Clean fresh herbs under running, cool water; wrap them by type (basil, thyme, chives, etc.) while still damp in individual paper towels; then place all the paper towels in a ziploc bag and refrigerate. This has been working well for me:--) And wish you were here. I have enough basil growing this year for a small army! Wed Jun 14 12:01:55 -0700 2006 1531674 0 pilotgirl210 2 1531699 what do you do with all the basil you have? Wed Jun 14 12:12:05 -0700 2006 1531694 0 ssssssandy 3 1531729 I pawn off as much as I can on my co-workers, and make pesto out of the rest. My sister-in-law owns an Italian restaurant and she supplies me with olive oil, pinenuts and cheese and I give the bulk of the finished pesto to her, keeping a small amount for our use. But the brazen deer in my neighborhood got into my basil early this spring and ate the tops off my plants....the lil rascals!! So now I have covered the plants with netting and they're coming along nicely. Had to cover my raspberries and concord grapes, too. When you live with deer, wild turkeys, racoons, foxes and other 'critters, you have to adapt! Wed Jun 14 13:01:21 -0700 2006 1531699 0 pilotgirl210 1 1531711 Cook's Illustrated recommended a herb keeper (link to Amazon's site below, for illustration). I got one, not entirely convinced but I'm now a believer. It really does keep herbs for an amazingly long time, at least 2-3 times as long as just keeping in the fridge, bagged or unbagged. Parsley and cilantro last over a week. Basil never makes it to the herb keeper, I use everything I get immediately or turn it into pesto which I freeze. Link: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00024WQHO/002-4214626-9305622?v=glance&n=284507 Wed Jun 14 12:33:21 -0700 2006 1531674 0 cheryl 2 1531755 Hey, you just answered my herbs in glass jars question. Just put a little water in the bottom of the jar. Herb Keeper - $14.50 Empty mayonaise jar - priceless Wed Jun 14 14:03:56 -0700 2006 1531711 0 rworange 3 1531768 You can use a glass jar but the herb keeper is (1) tall (around 10" I would guesstimate) so you don't have to cut the herb stems, and (2) convenient - it has a wide mouth with a lid so pulling out a few stalks is easy. I can put two herb bundles into it and reach everything without a struggle. I think you could use a pasta storage container which is about the same size and shape. Wed Jun 14 14:21:57 -0700 2006 1531755 0 cheryl 1 1531756 I love that 6 people write in with essentially the same advice. Wed Jun 14 14:03:59 -0700 2006 1531674 0 Darren 2 1531763 Me...I'm just grateful that people are willing to answer...consider it variations on a theme ;-)...and thanks to all who have answered. It's great that I can save an herb or two today! Wed Jun 14 14:12:56 -0700 2006 1531756 0 Joyce Goldstein 2 1531764 Me...I'm just grateful that people are willing to answer...consider it variations on a theme ;-)...and thanks to all who have answered. It's great that I can save an herb or two today! Wed Jun 14 14:14:13 -0700 2006 1531756 0 Joyce Goldstein 1 1532102 I wash parsley and cilantro, cut like a bouquet, place in a glass of water in the fridge. They both keep for at least a week, though I notice that the cilantro's taste seems to weaken a little after a while. I keep basil plants on my window sill, since I can't get cuttings to keep in water. Fri Jun 16 05:59:57 -0700 2006 1531674 0 Cagey