290155 Sun Aug 25 14:56:20 -0700 2002 25 27 General Chowhounding Topics 0 1573647 I have been using a lot of basil (with long stems) and mint (with short stems) at home. At every step along the way, I screw up. I have trouble getting all the sand/grit off, I have trouble drying them without them wilting, and I have trouble preserving the unused herbs for the next day. Could some non-murderers walk me through how you deal with herbs once you get them home from the market. 1. How do you keep the herbs before you use them? 2. How do you clean/wash them before use? 3. How do you dry them and preserve their color and texture? 4. How do you try to prolong the life of the unused herbs. What kind of container/packaging do you use, and do you refrigerate them? Please help me before I kill again. Sun Aug 25 14:56:20 -0700 2002 0 Dave Feldman 1 1573650 Hi Dave, I use the same method for basil that I do for parsley and cilantro: Buy it, bring it home, remove slimy or sick looking leaves, trim the stems at the bottom and put the stems in a glass of water (just as you'd do with cut flowers). Put in the fridge. ChowNews had a bit a few months ago about cilantro. In it, some folks recommended tenting the herbs that you have in water with a plastic bag. I generally don't bother, though. I wash it just before using and pat dry. This should also work for mint just fine. Sun Aug 25 15:24:35 -0700 2002 1573647 0 Pat Hammond 2 1573679 Thanks all, so far, for your recommendations, which I fear aren't much different from what I do now (although I haven't tried refrigerating herbs in a while). But at least at my produce suppliers, mint stems are cut, so that it would be impossible to stand them up in a glass without immersing the leaves as well. How is this problem solved? Sun Aug 25 23:39:50 -0700 2002 1573650 0 Dave Feldman 3 1573681 folding the damp washed herbs loosely in paper towels and putting in the fridge. Mon Aug 26 00:41:53 -0700 2002 1573679 0 Betty 4 1573683 In the Korean delis, mint is usually laid horizontally in metal trays with ice and water and they seem to do fairly well. Is this only good for the short term? Mon Aug 26 01:19:07 -0700 2002 1573681 0 Dave Feldman 5 1573875 Yes, you want to keep the leaves from sitting in water very long Wed Aug 28 23:30:07 -0700 2002 1573683 0 Betty 1 1573652 They are just plain perishable, Dave, but you can postpone the inevitable a little. Grit-wise, you would do best to plunge them into a big bowl of cool water, swish them lavishly, let the water settle for a sec, then lift the herbs up and out. It takes more of the sandy stuff away than just rinsing them in a colander. Most herbs do best to be fluff dried (gentle cycle) and wrapped in paper towels, then loosely in plastic bags. Too much plastic and water will rot you out of house and herb. If the cilantro still has roots attached, you can stand it up in a glass of water and cover with a plastic bag in the fridge. And you can knock it over every time, like I do. Sun Aug 25 15:27:35 -0700 2002 1573647 0 Deb Van D 1 1573653 Try this for leafy green herbs: Snip them in the morning, when they've had a good night's rest, before the heat of the day is on them. The flavors will be truer and brighter, and they'll be less apt to wilt. Plunge entire cuttings into cool water, and swirl them to remove the sand and grit. Let them rest for a few minutes. Swirl them again. Take them out of the water and gently shake off the excess. For herbs you want to keep, stand the stems in a glass of cool water, slip a plastic bag loosely over the top and stick them in the fridge. Or place them loosely in a plastic bag with a lightly scrunched paper towel. For herbs you want to use right away, pinch off the leaves you need and take them for a spin in the salad spinner. Treat them with kindness, and they'll reward you. Sun Aug 25 15:27:55 -0700 2002 1573647 0 GG Mora 1 1573667 Wash herbs by filling the sink or a large bowl with cool water and swishing the herbs about in it. The sand will sink to the bottom. If the herbs are especially dirty, you may need to do this twice. You can extend the life of fresh basil by putting the stems in a glass of water. Pull off a few of the lower leaves- don't want to submerge leaves, just stems. Leave it out on the counter, not in the fridge. It lasts a few days after picking using this method. Sun Aug 25 19:29:46 -0700 2002 1573647 0 Janet 1 1573685 Dave, I usually wrap short-stemmed or delicate herbs in damp paper towels and refrigerate them in a thick plastic bag. The glass-of-water method works well for longer-stemmed herbs. If your herbs come with a metal and paper twist-tie binding the stems together, be sure to remove it. I have heard that this can promote rot, and it sure seems to be true. Perhaps you could find out why... --Molly Mon Aug 26 01:43:24 -0700 2002 1573647 0 Molly Symmonds 2 1573714 OK, Molly, there seems to be a consensus on what to do with the short-stem herbs. I'm going to try your method. My mojitos are at stake! Mon Aug 26 13:13:28 -0700 2002 1573685 0 Dave Feldman 2 1573719 The twist-tie, if tight enough to hold the bundle together, promotes rot by bruising the stems so that they can't draw water up to the leaves, also by shutting out air from the sprigs on the inside of the bundle. Mon Aug 26 14:03:45 -0700 2002 1573685 0 C. Fox 3 1573725 V. plausible, but this seems to happen even when they are very loosely bound by a twist-tie; it wouldn't seem enough to cut off their water supply... I suspect it's to do with the paper, but this is an uneducated guess... Molly Mon Aug 26 14:27:40 -0700 2002 1573719 0 Molly Symmonds 1 1573687 Time to plant a simple herb garden. Most of the ones you use will do fine in pots. There's something very satisfying about going out to the garden with scissors and snipping just what you need for that meal. And the best part is those glasses filled w/ water and herbs don't spill in the fridge (same thing always happened to me, too, Pat!) Mon Aug 26 01:56:35 -0700 2002 1573647 0 jenniferfishwilson 2 1573711 Garden? Garden??? Mon Aug 26 13:02:28 -0700 2002 1573687 0 Dave Feldman 3 1573713 Yes, Dave. Garden! I have a small planter on my fire escape. It's positively spilling over with herbs. I'm giving them away to my downstairs neighbors, and still they grow. I have chives, parsley, sage, and oregano. But basil and cilatro would do beautifully I'm sure. All you need is some sun, and water. pat Mon Aug 26 13:11:59 -0700 2002 1573711 0 Pat Hammond 4 1573755 Basil is doable indoors too. My two potted plants began indoors, in a very sunny location, with lots of watering. They are now outside. I plan to take them in when the cold weather hits and hope they stay alive throughout the winter.. I've always grown herbs in pots, because I like to have the ability to place them on the kitchen counter and let their fragrance fill the room from time to time. Tue Aug 27 00:14:25 -0700 2002 1573713 0 TR 1 1573702 Don't wash them until you are going to use them. The brusing that happens when you wash them hastens spoiling. I go with the damp paper towel and then in a bag and can have herbs last up to 2 weeks. To wash dunk in water and splash around. Repeat several times if they are sandy/gritty/muddy. Aram Mon Aug 26 10:23:57 -0700 2002 1573647 0 StriperGuy 2 1573712 So you don't put any water at all on the herbs before wrapping them in towels? Then what kind of bag do you use and where do you put it? And do you seal the bag tight? I've just read a book on preserving herbs that recommends putting fresh herbs in a mason jar in the refrigerator, shutting out all outside air and moisture! Mon Aug 26 13:06:55 -0700 2002 1573702 0 Dave Feldman 3 1573787 Now, we might be on to something here. I remember a friend had a plexiglass "egg" which was made in two halves, and had no air holes. They put a cut stem of ivy inside, for kicks, and it stayed green for MONTHS! What this suggest to me, is to buy a clear sealable container to keep herbs in and see if it works (clear, because you can see what's happening inside without opening it up). Tue Aug 27 14:33:02 -0700 2002 1573712 0 Jim Nichols 3 1573869 I just spritz the paper towel with a tablespoon or two of water. You don't want it too wet or the herbs will get slimey. Wrap it around the herbs. Then seal the herbs in a Ziploc bag. They keep for at leat two weeks. Same technique is good for lettuce too. Wed Aug 28 21:57:37 -0700 2002 1573712 0 StriperGuy 1 1573724 In my experience, there's no way to dry herbs without losing color, texture and flavor. That's why so many recipes call for fresh - there's no comparison. That said, some dry better than others. Thyme, sage and rosemary dry reasonably well. Oregano might too if the plant is potent enough. (Oregano plants are notoriously variable in flavor.) I don't bother drying basil, and mint - especially spearamint - is a total loss. The flavor dissapates to nothingness. Herbs are best dried by tying in small, loose bundles and hanging in a dry place. Once they're completely dry, store them in an airtight container. Mon Aug 26 14:17:28 -0700 2002 1573647 0 Kathryn Callaghan 2 1573737 There's a quicker way to dry those herbs. Just pop them in the microwave between two papertowels. You have to experiment a little to get the time right, but go one minute at a time and as they get more crispy you can try it in 30 second intervals. Mon Aug 26 15:54:03 -0700 2002 1573724 0 Jambalaya 2 1573756 Sorry I wasn't clear -- I wasn't referring to drying for long-term use, but drying the herbs after washing before the end use. Tue Aug 27 02:09:36 -0700 2002 1573724 0 Dave Feldman 1 1574355 there was always a debate in my house about herbs as to whether they should be stored in plastic containers or in paper bags; any ideas? . . . also, you can try freezing freshly picked basil, it won't keep the appearance, but the flavor will be there if you're preparing something like a stir-fry (mojitos or pho are a different story). but the garden is essential . . . we end up freezing the basil because we can't go through it quickly enough! Thu Sep 05 12:52:11 -0700 2002 1573647 0 bigjeff 2 1574412 A friend who grows basil insists her crop thrives best by placing the herbs in water in a glass and placed on the window sill. She treats basil like fresh-cut flowers. Fri Sep 06 00:23:44 -0700 2002 1574355 0 Dave Feldman