How to Delay Herbal Death
Photograph from Paul Goyette on Flickr
How often do you buy a pack of fresh herbs for a recipe only to leave the excess herbs in the refrigerator to wilt and decay? Even if those poor herbs who never get to realize their fullest flavor potential can't sense the pain of turning into a pool of brown mush, it's a waste on your part. How could you kill those defenseless herbs? How?
Maybe you just didn't know how to keep them fresh. If you want to prevent future premature herbal death, read The Washington Post's article about how to preserve fresh herbs, written by Nick Kindelsperger and Blake Royer of The Paupered Chef. They suggest rinsing and drying herbs the day you buy them before wrapping them in a moist paper towel, and putting herb stems in a glass of water to help keep them fresher. If your herbs do reach the point where their texture is less than desirable, just toss them in a blender to make pesto. Your herbs should never go to waste again.
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4 Comments:
I do put herbs in a glass of water; however, I think basil prefers to be at room temperature, rather than in the fridge. It doesn't always work, however, especially if the basil is already on the limp side. Sometimes, though, the basil will even sprout roots and last quite a long time.
emily20008 at 12:17PM on 08/02/07
Condensation & basil do not go well together...keep it out of the fridge
Kim Nyland at 12:23PM on 08/02/07
For me the best way to "keep" basil is to put the stems into a glass of room temperature water, then loosely cover the leaves and rim of the glass with a plastic ziplop type bag. By doing this you are creating a greenhouse type environment, then leave it on a counter that has indirect sunlight. Never put it into the refrigerator.
ebpizza at 2:48PM on 08/02/07
emily20008, I was lucky enough that the bunch of basil that was sitting in a glass of water on my kitchen counter sprouted roots. I decided to see if the suckers would grow on my balcony, and sure enough - I have a large and healthy basil plant growing in a container. Awesome!
I find that after washing/drying/putting between towels and then into a ziploc bag works up to a point. I usually throw them into the freezer. I can't use frozen basil/cilantro in salsas or salads or anything, but they work great in soups/stocks/sauces.
lorelei76 at 5:08PM on 08/08/07