
Have you ever had trouble keeping fresh herbs fresh? Do your cilantro and parsley go wilty, limpy, or dry after a few days?
Several years ago my mother taught me this super easy trick, which really works, and keeps fresh herbs fresh and useable for up to a couple of weeks. The trick involves the clever use of a plastic bag.
Now, I don’t know why this works. It just does.
How to Store Parsley, Cilantro, and Other Fresh Herbs
Method
1 Snip off the bottom of the stems.
2 Make sure the leaves are completely dry. Better to hold off rinsing them until you're about to use them.
3 Fill a jar or a water glass partially with water and place the stem ends of the herbs into the water in the jar.
4 If you are storing the herbs in the refrigerator, cover loosely with a plastic bag. Cilantro loves cool temperatures and should be stored in the refrigerator. Parsley can be stored at room temperature or in the refrigerator. According to Harold McGee, basil is ideally stored at room temperature and not in the refrigerator, because it is susceptible to damage from cold.
5 Change the water after several days if the water starts to discolor.
Fresh parsley, cilantro, basil, and other fresh herbs can last up to 2 weeks or longer when stored this way.
Hello! All photos and content are copyright protected. Please do not use our photos without prior written permission. Thank you!
Products We Love
This post may contain links to Amazon or other partners; your purchases via these links can benefit Simply Recipes. Read more about our affiliate linking policy.
It really does work! I bought fresh flat leaf parsley from the grocery store on November 21st, and they still look, smell and feel fresh today, December 15th! I cleaned, trimmed, placed them in a mason jar in 2″ of water, then covered tightly with a gallon sized Ziploc bag in the fridge. No more buying parsley once a week from now on.
xxxxxyyyyy
This is awesome!
xxxxxyyyyy
I work’s….. Thank u soon much for the tip
xxxxxyyyyy
When storing herbs in my fridge, should I use city water, distilled water or bottled drinking water?
Hi Marilyn,
City water should be just fine.
Great help and knowledge!
xxxxxyyyyy