To get the most flavor and aroma from your fresh herbs and ensure they keep as long as possible, you need to store them properly.
Storing herbs incorrectly means that they will decay quicker and lose their flavor and magical aroma sooner than they should.
Below you’ll find a quick guide on the best way to store fresh herbs.
How to Store Fresh Herbs
Buy the freshest herbs you can find, and either:
Refrigerate. Wrap the herbs with a small slightly damp paper or dish towel and keep in a plastic bag.
Dry. Simply hang herbs with low moisture content (like rosemary and thyme) upside down until they’re dry. Herbs such as oregano and basil need to be dried quickly to prevent molding – wash these herbs, pat dry and keep in a warm oven (about 180°F) for about 2 to 3 hours stirring them occasionally until they’re dried out.
Store in water. This technique works great for herbs such as parsley, cilantro, oregano, sage, marjoram, basil, rosemary, tarragon, mint, and chives.
Freeze. Start by rinsing the herbs under cold water; pat dry and allow the herbs to dry completely before transferring them to a freezer bag. If you need to freeze herbs with softer leaves (like cilantro or basil), you may want to chop them after rinsing; keep in ice cube trays filled with water.
Tip! If you’re freezing your herbs, make sure to label them as frozen herbs look a lot alike and won’t have their distinctive smell until they’re thawed.
And why not grow your own herbs? Herbs like thyme, oregano, rosemary, mint, chives and lemon grass are quite easy to grow indoors.
