How to Keep Fresh Herbs From Going Bad (Two Weeks or More, Done Right)

Step by step

1. 1

   Sort the bunch

   Take off the twist tie or rubber band and look at what you have. Soft, leafy herbs go in one pile, herbs with stiff, woody stems in another, and basil by itself.

   Now pick off any yellow, wilted, bruised or slimy leaves. Rot starts at damaged leaves and cut stem ends and spreads from there, so they are worth the minute it takes.

   What it looks like: good leaves are bright green and springy. Leave behind anything limp, yellow or dark and wet looking.

2. 2

   Do not wash them yet

   Store them dry and rinse them right before you cook. When you do wash them, use plain cool running water, rub gently with your hands, and pat them dry with a clean towel. Skip the soap, the produce wash and the vinegar bath, because they do not make herbs cleaner or last longer.

3. 3

   Soft herbs and green onions: the jar

   Snip a little off the bottom of each stem with scissors. Pour 1 to 2 inches of water into a jar and stand the herbs in it, stems down, so the water touches only the stems and the leaves stay dry.

   Slip a plastic bag loosely over the top and hold it with a rubber band. Then put the jar in the fridge where it will not get knocked over.

   What it looks like: a little bouquet in a tent. The bag fogs up a bit on the inside, which means the air around the leaves is staying humid.

   

2. 4

   Change the water every day

   Pour out the old water and add fresh every day. If you see cloudy water, slime on the stems or a sour smell, trim the stems again and rinse the jar.

3. 5

   Woody herbs: the damp towel

   Wet a paper towel and wring it out until it is barely damp, not dripping. Lay the rosemary, thyme, oregano or sage on it in whole sprigs and roll it up loosely.

   Slide the roll into a plastic zip bag and put it in the fridge. Check the towel every few days, and dampen it again if it has dried out.

   What it looks like: sprigs that stay stiff and fragrant. Soggy, dark leaves mean the towel was too wet.

   
4. 6

   Basil: the counter

   Trim the stems and stand the basil in a glass of water on the kitchen counter, like a bouquet of flowers, out of direct sun. Change the water every day or two.

   Why not the fridge: basil is the warm-weather herb. Cold below 54°F damages it, USDA says, and the leaves turn brown and black. Every other herb on this page wants to be as cold as it can get without freezing.

   One exception: if your basil came from a refrigerated case at the store, you can keep it in the fridge, UC Davis Health says. Basil from the farmers market or a garden belongs on the counter.

   

How to tell your herbs are still good

• Still good: fresh green color, leaves that spring back, a clean herb smell.
• Use them today: a little limp, a few yellow leaves. Pick off the bad ones and cook with the rest.
• Toss them: slime, fuzzy mold, a sour smell, or leaves that are black and wet. On basil, black spots mean cold damage. When in doubt, throw them out.

When it will not work, and what to do instead

If a bunch still goes bad on you, one of these is the likely reason, and each one has an easy fix.

• The leaves sat in the water. Wet leaves rot fast. Use a shorter jar or less water so only the stems are under.
• You bagged wet herbs. Damp leaves are the most common reason a bunch turns to slime. Store dry, wash later.
• The basil turned black in the fridge. That is cold damage, and it does not reverse. Use the good leaves right away and keep the next bunch on the counter.
• Your fridge runs warm. Keep it at 40°F or below, which is what FDA says a fridge should be. A cheap fridge thermometer tells you for sure.
• The bunch was tired when you bought it. Herbs that were already limp or bruised at the store will not last as long, no matter how you store them.

Why it works

Here is what is going on. Herbs are leaves that are still alive after they are cut, and they keep losing water through those leaves.

Cold slows everything down, and humid air keeps the leaves from drying out. The jar with a bag over it gives soft herbs both at once: water coming up the stems, and a little damp tent around the leaves.

Woody herbs need less water, so a barely damp towel is enough to keep them from going crisp without making them soggy. And rot usually starts where leaves are bruised or stems are cut, which is why you pick off the bad leaves and trim the stems before anything goes in the fridge.

Basil plays by its own rules, because it cannot take the cold.

So many of us buy a whole bunch of cilantro for one pot of something and use a handful. A week later, the rest has melted into a green puddle in the bottom of the bag. That is real money going in the trash, a little at a time, every single week.