How Should You Store Fresh Herbs?

If you only want to store fresh herbs for a few days, you can wrap them in a damp cloth or sprinkle them with clean water and store them in a plastic box in the fridge. Bunches of herbs can be kept fresh for a few days in a glass of water like a bouquet of flowers. This works even better with a little dextrose. However, this does not apply to chives, as the stalks soak up water and become slimy.

Alternatively, fresh herbs can be frozen well and stored in this way for up to a year. To do this, wash the herbs, dry them carefully and remove withered leaves. Then you can either chop them up or just pluck off the leaves and freeze them in freezer bags.

Another option is to freeze the chopped herbs in portions with a little water in ice cube trays – you can later add the frozen herb cubes to the finished dish to flavor it. This works especially well with chives, parsley, dill, thyme, tarragon, lemon balm, and basil. However, the aroma may change during the process. However, the herbs do not spoil.

Some fresh herbs can also be dried well. This is especially true for varieties that naturally contain little water, such as thyme or rosemary. In principle, however, you can dry all herbs except borage and cress. This can be done by hanging in bundles or lying on kitchen paper in the air or at low temperatures of no more than 50 degrees Celsius in the oven. The herbs are dry when the leaves rustle slightly when touched. Dried herbs will also keep for up to a year in airtight, dark jars.

You can also pickle fresh herbs in vinegar or oil. As long as the ingredients are of excellent quality and impeccably clean, the pickled herbs will keep almost indefinitely – provided they are stored in a dark and dry place.