A handful of fresh herbs can elevate your meals to make an average recipe almost restaurant quality. If you don’t grow herbs on your own, you can buy bunches at the grocery store. The downside is that they don’t last very long… unless stored correctly. From the fridge to freezer, there are a few easy hacks you should know if you want to learn how to keep herbs fresh for weeks or even months.
Are There Different Types of Fresh Herbs?
Yes, there are two types of fresh herbs: tender herbs, aka soft herbs, and hard herbs. Tender herbs have soft stems and soft leaves; they include cilantro, tarragon, parsley, dill, mint, and basil. Hard herbs have hard, woody stems and stiffer leaves like rosemary, oregano, thyme, bay leaves, and sage.
How Long Do Fresh Herbs Last?
Excess moisture and oxygen can cause fresh herbs to wilt and brown in a matter of days, especially if they’re left in a grocery bag in the fridge. When properly stored, fresh herbs can last for weeks in the fridge and months in the freezer. Dried herbs, on the other hand, will last for years in the pantry.
Health benefits of cooking with fresh herbs
As leafy greens, herbs are packed with nutrients. A wide variety of spices possess potent antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anticancer properties due to the presence of certain bio-active compounds in them. The effects of certain putative dietary spices namely turmeric, clove, garlic, ginger, fennel, black cumin, cinnamon, pepper, saffron, rosemary, and chilli are also being discussed.
A recent (2021) systematic literature review of clinical trials assessed the effects of culinary herbs and spices on obesity. This review concluded that a number of culinary herbs and spices have been investigated and reported to significantly reduce obesity. There are other systematic reviews that indicate that fenugreek seed extracts and ashwagandha root have positive effects on testosterone concentrations in men.
There is now ample evidence that spices and herbs possess antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and cholesterol-lowering activities as well as properties that affect cognition and mood. Research over the past decade has reported on the diverse range of health properties. Spices and herbs such as clove, rosemary, sage, oregano, and cinnamon are excellent sources of antioxidants. Frequent consumption of spicy foods has been linked to a lower risk of death from cancer and ischemic heart and respiratory system diseases.
The actual role of spices and herbs in the maintenance of health, specifically with regards to protecting against the development of chronic, non-communicable diseases, is currently unclear. What is clear, the normal amount of fresh herbs found in a recipe will provide you with great health benefits. It’s incredible what the body can do when you give it some good, clean, fresh food! That, and herbs just make your meal taste amazing! Now, on to what you really came for…
Ways to Keep Fresh Herbs for Weeks
Wash Your Herbs
There is no real need to wash organically harvested herbs, especially given that some of the oils may be lost when rinsing. Instead, shake them to dislodge any insects attached. If they really are dirty, by all means, give them a little rinse. If you are using fresh store-bought herbs, wash them carefully and dry them completely. Spin them dry in a salad spinner, then pat off any remaining moisture with a dishtowel.
Store Them
Store tender herbs by placing them upright in a jar of water (as you would a bouquet of flowers) and covering them loosely with a plastic bag. Roll hard herbs in a moist paper towel before refrigerating.
Follow these steps to store tender herbs properly:
1. Trim the herbs. Trim the base of the washed herbs and snip off any browned leaves.
2. Place the herbs in a jar. Fill a Mason jar or a glass container with an inch of water and place the herbs into the jar. Try to keep the leaves out of the water as best as possible. It will spoil your water faster and make those leaves soggy.
3. Store herbs in the fridge. Tender herbs need to be stored in the fridge. You can cover loosely with a plastic bag fastened to the jar with a rubber band. The bag will keep the leaves from losing moisture and keep the herbs from browning. As AJ and I move away from using plastics, we just keep the herbs uncovered in our fridge. We are still able to get weeks out of our herbs.
The only except to this rule is Fresh Basil: should be stored in water at room temperature and out of direct sunlight, like a bouquet of flowers.
4. Change the water every couple of days to maintain freshness.
Storing Hard Herbs in the Fridge
It’s important to keep hard herbs moist and airtight from oxygen.
1. Carefully wash the herbs in cold water to remove any dirt.
2. Remove any browned stems and leaves and arrange the herbs in a single layer on a damp linen towel
3. Roll up the herbs in the towel which will keep the herbs moist. Place the rolled herbs in an airtight container or a resealable bag to keep oxygen out, which will prevent browning.
Dry Them
Air-drying herbs is one of the easiest ways to dry herbs at home. It can take a while, but you end up with a purer, cleaner flavor than with other methods.
You can either air-dry herbs in bundles, which will take longer, or spread them out over racks. This will take up more space but will ultimately dry your herbs faster. There is also less of a chance that they will rot or mold before being completely dried.
- Spread individual leaves or sprigs of herbs on a rack or a baking tray lined with cheesecloth. If you’re going to be drying herbs using this method frequently, you may wish to make a drying screen out of mesh, like mosquito screening, mounted on a wooden frame.
- Place in a warm spot out of direct sunlight.
- Turn the leaves regularly, about every 12 hours or so. This method should dry the herbs in 2-3 days.
- The herbs are dry when they have the texture of cornflakes and crumble when pressed.
For more tips on how to dry your herbs, click here.
Freeze Them
Chop up the herbs and place them in ice cube trays. Cover them with a neutral oil, such as light olive oil or canola oil. Freeze the herbs. Use frozen herbs in any recipes that call for chopped herbs, such as sauces, soups, or stews.
A Few Resources
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1756464621000980
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/jfbc.13285
https://academic.oup.com/jaoac/article/102/2/395/5658185?login=false
