Storing Fresh Herbs

sashanut

Hope this tip will help those who (LIKE ME) buy bunches of herbs in the supermarket only to see them wilted & brown when I next wanted to use them. If you live anywhere near an Indian shop that sells large bunches of coriander etc cheaply,or even some supermarkets sell large bunches much cheaper than the little plastic packs. Now here is a way to take advantage of those cheap prices & add flavour to all your recipies!

Get a sheet of newspaper big enough to wrap your herb bunch in & dampen (not soak) it by sprinkling water on it. Then wrap up the bunch completely in the newspaper, place in plastic bag - tying it LOOSLEY at the top - & then put into fridge. I have kept bunches of coriander & basil fresh for at least 2 weeks like this, saved a fortune on those tiddly packets :money:

thriftlady_2

Ooh,excellent tip,thanks,I'll be trying it out.

Lillibet_2

I chop mine up & freeze in a drop of water in ice cube trays;)

Ruby_Pudding

Lillibet wrote:

I chop mine up & freeze in a drop of water in ice cube trays;)

Even basil? (I hope so because I can NEVER get that to keep)

RP

cha97michelle

i only do it with parsley, but i wash it and then chop it and put back in the little plastic container i buy it in and freeze it. It is still wet when i freeze it so that is probably the same as freezing in an ice cube tray. I then break off just the amount i need for the dish, and it lasts ages.

aurorahelios

Yep, those wee Asian shops are great well worth a trip to if you've any in the area. OH bought 6 chillis for 7p a couple of weeks ago and a big bunch of coriander just 50p. Not only are they cheap but I find the quality very good too.

I store my coriander the Madhur Jaffrey way. She advises putting it in a glass of water; covering with a plastic bag and putting it in the fridge. It works for me. We tend to do quite a bit of Asian cooking so it doesn't hang around long in our house anyway.

shykins

i freeze it in bunches, then when its frozen it jus breaks when u roll it and then i freeze it seperately in bags

i have done this with parsley, thyme, sage etc so dont see why basil wont work

se999

Even if you've only got a window box or the smallest patch of ground or even a few pots on a window sill, if you buy rosemary, thyme or chives plants, they need only be a one off purchase and will provide constant fresh herbs with minimum maintenance.

Mint is a bid more of a problem, as it's invasive, but if you keep in a pot, again you should be OK, but it does need a bit more space.

Bay looks super, but at a super price!! But again, with either a largish pot or a spot in your garden, you have herbs forever.

It is worth having a few pots of fresh herbs or a small corner of your garden, or do as we have done and mix them in to the normal garden borders, most are very pretty ornamental plants. You will taste the difference. Freshly picked and into the dish, does make a difference.

Do watch out at the DIY/garden centres to buy. Also if you're on a booze run to France, in season some of the hypermarkets have super rosemary etc. extremely cheap.

Joannei1984

Hi all

This is my first OS post so be gentle!!
I have a little tip regarding fresh herbs - I often see them reduced in the supermarket and found that if you freeze them fresh (scatter them about in the bag) you can add them to a meal still frozen and they still taste great! I did this with basil and it worked great.

patchwork_cat

Good tip, or grow your own and freeze at peak for use all winter. I also freeze them in ice cubes. If I go to the asian supermarket I buy bunches of Coriander - not tried freezing them direct, but in water - which way do people think works best ?Trying to grow Coriander again this year.

sue-y

I was reading the freezing thread just last night (originally started off on organising kitchen cupboards, wandered through slow cooker recipes, then through batch cooking, 4 hours later.....).

Its at the top of the Old Style board, sticky saying quick questions. Loads of tips about how to freeze herbs, well recommended!