How to Have Fresh Herbs for 6-8 Weeks?? 😮 🌿, by The Cross Legacy on YouTube. 5 min 47 s.
- Video length
- 5 min 47 s
- Time to do it
- 15 minutes
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Steps
- 8
What you need
Steps
Fill a bowl or sink with cool water. Submerge the herb bunches and swish them gently to loosen dirt and grit from the leaves and stems.
Lift the herbs out of the water rather than pouring it off, so the dirt stays behind. Rinse once more if the water looks gritty.
Spin the herbs dry in a salad spinner, or roll them loosely in a clean towel and pat gently. Wet leaves rot fast, so get them as dry as you can.
Pick out any yellowed, slimy or bruised leaves and stems. One bad leaf can spoil the whole jar.
Trim about half an inch off the bottom of each stem with a sharp knife. Cut at an angle so more of the stem can take up water.
Pour an inch or two of fresh water into pint-size mason jars or small glasses. Filtered water is fine but not essential.
Stand the bunches upright in the jars, stems down, like flowers in a vase. Don't pack them tight; give the leaves room to breathe.
Loosely cover the leaves with a plastic bag or a towel and store the jars in the fridge. Change the water every few days and re-trim the stems if they look soft.
Tips and common mistakes
Keep soft herbs like parsley and cilantro in water, but store woody herbs such as rosemary and thyme dry in a loosely closed bag.
Don't wash herbs until you plan to use them if you can help it; extra moisture is the main cause of slime.
Change the water every two to three days and rinse the jar so bacteria don't build up.
Pull leaves from the outside as you need them and leave the rest of the bunch standing in water.
Questions
Which herbs can I store this way?
Soft-stemmed herbs like parsley, cilantro, dill and mint work best standing in water. Basil prefers room temperature and woody herbs like rosemary and thyme keep better dry.
Why did my herbs turn slimy?
Usually too much water on the leaves or a sealed, crowded container. Dry them well, leave the bag loose and change the water often.
Do I need filtered water?
No. Tap water works fine. Filtered water is a nice extra but not required for this method.
This guide was drafted from the video's details and general task knowledge. It has not been checked against the full video. Check the video and relevant product instructions before following a procedure. Report a correction.
