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How to Use and Store Fresh Herbs

 

 

Of course the best way to consume herbs and keep them fresh is picking them from your own garden, but not all of us have that luck or space in our houses. Also, it requires your full attention and taking care. For the people who enjoy eating a fresh meal and don’t have the necessary space for a green garden here are some tips to store your herbs:

 

Separate tender and hard herbs

Your number one priority must be determining if the herb you are going to store is tender or hard.  Tender herbs have soft stems and hard herbs have a woody stem.

Wash your herbs

Make sure you wash the herbs with cold water when you bring them home. Some people don’t recommend this procedure but in our experience it’s more beneficial because it kills germs that damage herbs.

Cleanse out

Get rid of the wilted or browned leaves. 

Time for the salad spinner

Put the herbs in a salad spinner and wait until they are dry. If you don’t have a spinner it’s better for you to wait until you are going to use the herbs. Another way of drying your herbs is placing them in the coolest place in your oven for 2 to 4 hours.

Arrange the herbs

For the tender herbs, find a jar and fill it with a glass of water. Place the herbs in the recipient and cover it. After that, store it in the refrigerator. Change the water as needed. This way you can keep your herbs fresh and ready to eat whenever you want. For the hard herbs, arrange the herbs by length in a single layer with a slightly wet paper towel. After that, transfer the herbs to a plastic bag and store it in the refrigerator.

Freeze them

If you want your herbs to last even longer you will have to freeze them. It is very easy and it will work as a backup when you need them. The most important step you have to follow before freezing is blanching them. This will guarantee its green color and prevent them from getting ugly.  To blanch them you will have to dip them in boiling water for a few minutes and then move them into a water ice bath.

 

Depending on the herb and if you followed the proper care, they can last for up to three weeks. This way you can enjoy a fresh salad whenever you want and you don’t have to be wasting money because your food got bad. It’s not a very difficult or long procedure and you will be saving money, time and having a healthy diet.

 

For all of you who have been struggling with the storage of fresh herbs, we assure you that if you follow the instructions correctly you will not regret reading it. It will change your perspective on vegetables because you will enjoy them as fresh as if they were just grabbed from a garden. Don’t waste more food and money and follow our tips for the storage of fresh herbs!