The Ultimate Way to Store Fresh Herbs

51 Comments

1. This is such a great idea! What a great way to keep them accessible & ready for cooking!

2. Thanks for sharing! Does it freeze well?

3. Hello Vanessa!
   I am glad that you find it helpful. I haven’t tried to freeze it in the jar. But, just based on prior experience with herbs, I don’t think it would freeze well. I hope that helps!

4. I just did this and was thinking it would be a safe place for all the basil I picked from my Aero Garden. I am going to put some of it in an ice cube tray with olive oil to freeze. I’m so glad I did not was it first. I’m more relieved to know I don’t have to hurry. I learned a lot from your site.

5. I am so glad that it helped! Thank you for visiting my site. 🙂

6. I am so glad that you think so! This is how I always store my fresh herbs. 🙂

7. Can you use plastic jars?

8. Hello Holly! I haven’t tried plastic jars. But, I think they would work the same way. The whole idea is that you are keeping moisture away from the herbs. The moisture is what makes them spoil more quickly. Let me know if you try it, and how it works for you!

9. Would a paper towel in the jar help with keeping it drier?

10. Thank you for this info. I have also had luck this season by putting basil clippings in a closed zip top bag in the fridge. This has kept it fresh for at least a couple of weeks.

11. Can you put more than one kind of herb in the jar together? It looks like you had a couple different ones in the jar.

12. So glad I found this, had lots of fresh basil and this is a great way to keep fresh. Thanks for sharing. Cindy in Mass.

13. Do you think this would work with cilantro?

14. Hi Clara! I have never tried a paper towel in the jar. This trick has always worked for me as is. But, if you try it, please let me know if it works for you!

15. Thanks for the info!

16. Hi Kim,
    Yes, I put several different kinds together in a jar. I can see keeping them separated for organizational purposes. You could even put little labels on them. 🙂 But, for the purposes of keeping them fresh, I haven’t found that mixing them up is a problem at all.

17. Hi Cindy,
    I’m so glad that is helpful for you!

18. Hi Susan,
    Yes, I have definitely used this for cilantro before. 🙂

19. This is similar to rinsing berries with vinegar, completely air drying, and storing in glass container. They last up to a month and do not mold.
    I will definitely be refrigerating a jar of fresh picked dry sweet basil, Thai basil, and cilantro!
    May give it a try with my spinach before winter.

20. This is a great tip for berries! Thank you for sharing!

21. No water?

22. Hi Kathy, I do not put any water in the jar with the herbs. In fact, it works best if they are completely dry when placing them in the jar. I hope that you try it!

23. Thank you so much. My Basil crop really produced, as well as my parsley. I am anxious to try this!

24. That’s so great, Sherie! I hope that this helps you!

25. Thank you for a great tip

26. My issue is I’m usually doing this for cilantro from the grocery store which is sopping wet from the dreaded misters…what would you suggest??? Let them dry on the counter then proceed with the dry jar method? I imagine they may wilt while drying? Any thoughts?

27. Thanks for the information I’m willing to try it because my herbs has been growing pretty fast and so I had to pick a lot of them and put them in a plastic baggie and then refrigerated them to find in a couple of weeks some of them were going bad so then I were trying to use them up so this I will try and let you know how it goes.

28. Hi. This is such a great idea. For which herbs does it work? Cilantro and rosemary as well? Thanks.

29. Wow!!! Tengo que hacer esto !
    Graciassss!!!

30. I wish I saw this before I tried another method for preserving basil that I used. Just threw it out yesterday because it was turning brown. The season is over here in CT but I’m using this method next season for sure. Do you know if this works with green onions? They go downhill so quickly in the fridge. I’m going to buy some organic herbs and give this a try. Thanks!

31. You are welcome! I am glad that it helped you.

32. Hi Melody! I would use a salad spinner to get some excess water off of the cilantro first. Then, I would gently pat the leaves dry with paper towels before placing them in the jar. I hope this helps!

33. Great Taressa! Let me know how it works for you!

34. Hello Hayat!
    I’ve used it for cilantro, parsley, rosemary, basil and mint. Let me know if you try any others and how it works out for you!

35. You are very welcome!

36. Hi Sandra! I have not tried it with green onions. I would love to know how it works for you! I may try it myself as well so that I can answer that question in the future!

37. Do you store these at room temperature or in the fridge after sealing in the jar?

38. Hi Laura, I put them in the jar, and then back into the refrigerator. 🙂

39. Hi, how long do the herbs last in the fridge? 🙂

40. Hi Lyndsey, I have had herbs last up to a month in the refrigerator. 🙂

41. Hi Laura, I place them in the jar, then store them in the refrigerator. 🙂

42. I was wondering if there is another way to dry them out if you don’t have a dehydrator. I have heard that you can place on paper towel and store in dark warm area? And that will take several weeks? Are there any other methods?

43. Hello Christina!
    The method that I have always used is hanging the herbs to dry. Gather a bunch of herbs, and tie a string around the stems. Then, hang them upside down in a cool, dry, dark place (like a pantry) until they are dried. For drier herbs (like rosemary) it should only take a week or two. Herbs with a higher water content (like basil, cilantro, mint) will take longer to dry, like 2-3 weeks. I hope this helps!

44. Hi…if you joining several herbs together, will they take on the other scents and flavors as well?

45. Hello Hinda,
    I haven’t found that this is the case. I hope that helps!

46. Hi! Can you open the jar tonremive a stem with leaves now and then? I’m going to give it a try with my basil!

47. Hi Cindy! Yes, I open the jar when I need to grab some, and then close it right back up! Good luck!

48. Hi, does your basil turn dark or black from the cold temperature?

49. Hi Donna,
    I have found that basil doesn’t last as long as other herbs with this technique. It will last a few days, but eventually turn dark. If I have lots of basil to trim, I remove the bottom leaves from the stem, and place the trimmings in a glass of water, like you would do with cut flowers, and place it on a window sill. I find that it stays fresh this way, and it doesn’t turn dark. If left long enough in the water, it will eventually grow roots, and you can even plant them again! After trying this a few times with basil, this my best advice for keeping it fresh after cutting. The jar method in this post works great for hardier herbs. I hope that helps!

50. Shall definitely try … seems like a brilliant idea

51. I’m so glad. I can’t take credit for the original idea. It was my grandmother’s! 🙂

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