How long to store fresh herbs?

[fawn]

I need fresh herbs to be used by friday.

I'll be buying the herbs, particularly: rosemary, parsley, chives, basil on Sunday

Can they still be fresh even after 5 days? If yes, how do i store?

http://community.cookinglight.com/editpost.php?do=editpost&p=1141003

 

[boufa06]

They can last up to a week if you store them separately in an airtight container or a ziplog bag unwashed and put them in the vegetable compartment of the fridge.

 

[YT2095]

in order of decay, Basil will go 1`st, parsley and chives will follow soon after, the more Woody herbs like Rosmary or Thyme will easily do the week.
I personaly put mine in Paper bags and then in the fridge, OR even in a little tumbler with some water in the bottom as if they were cut flowers.
be sure to change the water Regularly though, at least twice a day.
as a point of interest, Chives and Basil will grow quite happily indoors on the kitchen windows sill, and you can just take off what you need when you want it

 

[XeniA]

Rosemary can last far longer than a week.

I cut my chives from a plant on the balcony so I don't know for sure, but it should last as well as parsley.

For the parsley and basil (and chives in your case) I'd wash and dry well then put in a ziplock as Boufa suggested, with a damp (only) paper towel within.

 

[BreezyCooking]

Basil goes bad faster in the fridge than the others because it's essentially a warm-weather semi-tropical plant.

You might want to try keeping your basil out of the fridge in a glass of water - like flowers. Depending on its quality & when it was harvested, it might keep longer that way. Basil is not particularly cold-hardy. You could also try the water glass thing on the top shelf of your fridge as well, but frankly I'd still keep some outside of the fridge just in case.

 

[mugsy27]

i have used both rosemary and thyme upto 3 almost 4 weeks and not had any problems.

parsely on the other hand i cannot get to last more than 1 week tops...

 

[college_cook]

in order of decay, Basil will go 1`st, parsley and chives will follow soon after, the more Woody herbs like Rosmary or Thyme will easily do the week.

That about exactly what I was going to say. The longest I've been able to kep basil is about 8 days, but that may have been a fluke. At the restaurant, on the rare occassion that it doesn;t get used, our basil lasts 8 days easily. As mentioned, parsley and chives go soon after basil, and the thyme and rosemary are probably good for close to a month.

The key to keeping that basil fresh is to make sure it is bone dry when it goes into the fridge, and making sure your fridge is cold enough. To make herbs last longer, get your fridge as cold as you can without freezing things, and keep them in ziploc bags with some paper towel for the first day or two, to absorb any missed moisture. This is important for the chives/basil/parsley, not as much for th rosemary/thyme. Also, if you start to notice that one or two leaves are starting to go bad and dicolor on your, pull them out immeditaely. I would check for that daily.

 

[kitchenelf]

wash, shake off water, place a damp paper towel in the bottom of a baggie, place herbs separately in each bag - they should last. YT is right about the order in which they will "go" - some might not last as long as 5 days - it depends on how old they are to begin with too.

 

[Aria]

All of the above. You can have "almost fresh". Place the herbs in a small
plastic covered container and store in freezer. They will stay green and still have the fresh taste for one year.

 

[fawn]

For the parsley and basil (and chives in your case) I'd wash and dry well then put in a ziplock as Boufa suggested, with a damp (only) paper towel within.

-----------> should i wrap the herbs inside the towel? or just place the towel inside the bag along with the herbs?

I heard that rosemary can be placed in a cup with water and store in the refrigerator? Unlike for parsley,chives, basil, which should be stored in ziplock...

 

[BreezyCooking]

Actually, except for chives, both parsley & basil - as well as rosemary - can be kept in a cup of water, although like I posted before, basil seems to prefer living in a cup of water outside of the refrigerator.

In fact, upon occasion I've had both rosemary & basil put out roots while in cups of water.

 

[FraidKnot]

Many herbs can be frozen with no damage to the taste and texture. Tarragon and Dill Weed take exception to the texture thing but not the taste!

Fraidy

 

[Aria]

fawn, I do not use a towel. Place the herbs in a small plastic container and place in Freezer. The will keep one year, green, tasty and fine.

 

[fawn]

so, if i freeze the herbs, just place them in plastic container.. can i use ziplock? and place in the freezer? no damp towel needed? Freezer is better than just chiller?

 

[FraidKnot]

Yep, just freeze them. A zip-lock type bag works as well as a sealed plastic container. I never know what or how much of a fresh herb I might need because I rarely do much menu-planning. It's nice to have almost fresh herbs right there. I'm not adverse to using dried herbs, either.

Fraidy

 

[expatgirl]

I absolutely agree with getting as much of the moisture off the fresh herbs as possible. I find my OXO salad spinner(I've had 3 other different models prior to that one and none of them have come even close to lasting as long as this one--kids LOVE to help with this toy) to be indispensable for both lettuce and herbs for removing excess moisture that's already been mentioned in a previous post. Afterwards, I place them in a baggie with a paper towel as well. I've never frozen basil before because I use it mainly in Southeast Asian dishes and it HAS to be fresh but I don't see why you couldn't add it to stews, soups etc..

 

[luvcookin]

Great information! I love mint and that is one I have a terrible time keeping fresh.

 

[fawn]

I absolutely agree with getting as much of the moisture off the fresh herbs as possible. I find my OXO salad spinner(I've had 3 other different models prior to that one and none of them have come even close to lasting as long as this one--kids LOVE to help with this toy) to be indispensable for both lettuce and herbs for removing excess moisture that's already been mentioned in a previous post. Afterwards, I place them in a baggie with a paper towel as well. what's the reason for the towel inside a bag? are u referring to freezing or chilling the herbs? luvcookin oh, i also need mint leaves, how do i keep them fresh, i heard you soak them in cold water in the fridge, but i dont' know for how long...

 

[fawn]

I absolutely agree with getting as much of the moisture off the fresh herbs as possible. I find my OXO salad spinner(I've had 3 other different models prior to that one and none of them have come even close to lasting as long as this one--kids LOVE to help with this toy) to be indispensable for both lettuce and herbs for removing excess moisture that's already been mentioned in a previous post. Afterwards, I place them in a baggie with a paper towel as well.

what's the reason for the towel inside a bag? are u referring to freezing or chilling the herbs? luvcookin oh, i also need mint leaves, how do i keep them fresh, i heard you soak them in cold water in the fridge, but i dont' know for how long...

 

[BreezyCooking]

Mint lasts well both in & out of the refrigerator in a glass of water - like a flower bouquet. In fact, kept this way outside of the fridge, it will produce roots & can be potted up & kept on a sunny windowsill.