How to Keep Herbs Fresh

Fresh herbs are a simple joy of mine. They add body and flavor to any dish and they can be left out on the counter in jars to brighten up your kitchen. But let me tell you, NOTHING frustrates me more than buying herbs and having them die before I get to use them all.

To keep my herbs from dying before they’re used, I’ve come up with a way to maintain freshness and help them last as long as possible! It’s really a win-win situation, your herbs don’t die and you save money—everyone’s happy.

First of all, make sure your herbs are clean. If you’re not totally sure how to clean herbs PAUSE, and read about that first.

Now that our herbs are clean, bunch them up—make an herb bouquet, if you will—and trim the stems so that each bottom is freshly cut. Once you’ve given your herbs a nice little haircut, pop them into a glass jar or cup with room temperature water covering about 2 inches of the stems. You can use these jarred herbs as table centerpieces or set them up on your kitchen counter, they will bring a fresh pop of color to wherever they are.

Alternatively, if you don’t have the space to have all your herbs relaxing on your counter, or you just aren’t a fan seeing them all the time, you can wrap them up loosely in a paper towel and keep them in a sealed container in the fridge. The paper towel will absorb any moisture that accumulates in the refrigerator, keeping your herbs nice and fresh for at least a week.

Doing this will make your herbs happy, and help you save money, which should make you happy. Keep it fre$h and keep it fun by following the steps above.