Kitchen Hack: How to Preserve Fresh Herbs
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Learn How to Preserve Fresh Herbs in the fridge with my helpful kitchen hack! Preserving herbs the right way will keep those aromatic pals perky and packed with flavor for weeks on end. Say goodbye to watching your herbs go limp!!
How to Preserve Fresh Herbs
Love using garden fresh herbs but hate watching them go to waste?
One of the most frequently used kitchen tips in our arsenal is preserving fresh herbs such as parsley and cilantro in our fridge for weeks.
Yes! I said weeks. I love the fresh stuff and use these Italian herbs frequently.
After years of throwing them away, my husband did some research on how to preserve fresh herbs and tested different ways to store them until he found the magic method.
It’s easy, and boy oh boy does it seem like magic!
Learn how to preserve fresh herbs in the refrigerator the easy (and effective!) way and you’ll never watch your favorite aromatics wilt again.
I love sharing my kitchen tips and tricks with you! Whether it’s How to Bake Bacon, Slice Cherry Tomatoes, or How to Store Celery, I’ve got a helpful guide for almost everything.
Preserving Herbs: What You’ll Need
- Refrigerator – Your herbs will last a lot longer when you store them in your fridge. It boasts a chilled and humid temperature that will help them thrive.
- Container – You can use whatever you have on hand for preserving fresh herbs — a Mason jar, plastic container, measuring cup, or something similar.
The key is in its height. You need to use something that will allow your herbs to stand upright. - Water – Add a few inches of water to the container. It prevents wilting and keeps the herbs fresh and crisp for weeks!
- Plastic Bag – Keep your herbs completely covered to create the perfect chilled environment. The cover also traps the water and builds condensation on the bag.
- Herbs – Of course, storing herbs requires that you pick some up from the market (or your garden)!
Generally, soft-stemmed herbs do the best. These include, but are not limited to: cilantro, parsley, mint, and dill.
Basil has an exception — store covered in water as directed, but leave at room temperature. The cold air from the fridge will cause the leaves to turn black!
Also, woodier herb varieties like thyme and rosemary will not benefit from this method as much. Instead, wrap them in a damp paper towel and store in a sealed Ziploc.
Swap out the paper towel every few days.
How to Preserve Herbs: The Best Method
- Prepare your container.
Choose your preferred container and fill it about halfway with fresh water. The key is to make sure that the stems are completely submerged.
- Add the herbs.
Remove any plastic bands or twist ties from each bunch. Place the herbs in the water, making sure that the stalks are covered in water.
- Cover with a plastic bag.
Are you like me and have about a dozen of those plastic bags from the produce department lying around?
This is a great way to use them! Alternatively, you can use a Ziploc bag.
- Store in the fridge.
Place your herbs in the fridge, then sit back and relax. Enjoy knowing how to preserve fresh herbs in the refrigerator for weeks at a time!
Do note that different zones in the fridge can be colder than others.
Be sure to place herbs where the temperature is most average — typically, avoid the very back of the fridge, especially the top shelf.
Helpful Tips and Tricks for Preserving Fresh Herbs
- Trim the stems.
Before you add your herbs to your water container, you may want to trim the ends for optimal freshness.
Trimmed stems will help the herbs absorb the water better, making preserving herbs effortless.
- Change the water regularly.
In the same way that you should water your house plants every few days, change the water that your herbs are in regularly.
This helps to prevent bacteria growth and ensures the herbs stay hydrated.
- Check for wilting.
If you do notice some wilted stems, remove the container from the fridge and pick out any that aren’t looking their best.
This will prevent them from affecting the rest! It’s a super helpful hack when learning how to preserve herbs that many people don’t even think about!
How to Preserve Fresh Herbs in the Refrigerator FAQ
Now that you know how to preserve fresh herbs in the fridge, you’re probably wondering just how long they’ll keep. If you use this method, they will last for up to 2 weeks!
That said, I have even had them in my fridge for 3 weeks once — we went on vacation and left them in accidentally. They were still crisp and just needed a little water added to the container to perk them up!
It depends who you ask! I don’t always do so, but there isn’t any harm. Because there may dirt or sediment hidden in the bunches, it can help to rinse that away so the herbs don’t start to rot.
To wash your herbs, fill a bowl with cool water, hold the bunch by the stem, and swish the leafy parts around in the water. Repeat with fresh water until it is clear.
Give them a good shake and spread them out on a paper towel, then gently pat dry with another paper towel.
You can also leave them to air dry on the counter, but don’t let them sit out all day. They need to get back in the cold air of the fridge as soon as possible!
It’s tempting, isn’t it? But it’s always best to store herbs with similar moisture requirements together in the same water jar.
Some like humidity more than others, so keeping them separate helps maintain their freshness better.
Enjoy!
With love, from our simple kitchen to yours.
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Kitchen Hack: How to Preserve Fresh Herbs
Instructions
- Carefully remove herbs from the produce bag from the grocery store and set the bag aside for later use. Remove the produce ties from your fresh herbs.
- Spread out herbs and remove all of the wilted, yellowed and too short pieces. We are going to place these in 2 inches of water. Your leaves should not be touching the water.
- You can either use the herbs that you removed immediately or you can place them in a bowl, uncovered on your window sill until they are dried out. Then bag them up in resealable plastic bag.
- Trim the ends of the herbs (much like you would do with flowers) with a very sharp knife; I use my chef’s knife so they can soak up the water.
- Fill a tall container with 2″ water in the bottom. I used Ziploc Twist ‘n Loc containers, but a quart size wide mouth canning jar would work too.
- Place the cut herbs into the container. Remember you do not want your leaves in the water. Remove any that get into the water if necessary.
- Cover with the grocery store produce bag that you brought your herbs home in.
- Place herbs on the door of your refrigerator. It is the warmest place in your fridge. If the temperature is too cold, it can freeze your delicate leaves turning your herbs into mush.
Notes
Originally published May 2016, updated and republished August 2024
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