Put them in a glass of water, but DON'T put them in the fridge. They will keep at least a week as long as you make sure to change the water. Basil will often begin to root in a glass of water and will then keep indefinitely.

When I get home from the market, I wash the herbs and then air dry them for a few hours. Then I will spin them dry and wrap them in paper towels, placing the wrapped herbs in an open ziploc plastic bag. I may have to change the paper towels every 3 or 4 days (depending on the type of herb) but using this method keeps my herbs and greens fresh for at least a week, basil included!

another method i've always relied upon is to put them in some water, as shown above, then place a loose plastic bag over them in the fridge. this prevents them from dehydrating in the low-humidity environment.

Most fool-proof method for having fresh herbs on hand as needed: in summer - get seeds, put in small pots of moist potting soil, keep moist in a sunny place. Move indoors before the weather gets cool (most herbs aren't hardy) and keep in a sunny window. Provided they get sun, herbs are no more difficult than any other houseplant, and as long as you only cut 1/3 of the growth, they will grow back. (Cilantro is tricky; I have switched to culantro because it doesn't bolt as quickly.)

If you have trouble with fungus gnats, fill the top inch of your pots with sand.

Will store bought mint root if put in water?

@baconitup - I've been able to root mint that I've picked from my garden in a glass of water, so I would guess mint from the store would too as long as it's pretty fresh.

I wash them, spin them dry and then store in ziplock bags or tupperware. They keep for several days like that.

Does anyone know if cilantro will root in a glass of water?

Instead of buying, grow your own! It's fun, they're always available when you need them and you save some $!

I've never had success keeping basil more than a few hours on the counter (even in a class of water) before wilting, or wrapped in damp paper towels in the fridge--it always turns black or wilts.

UNTIL I learned, like someone else mentioned above, to put basil in a little water on the counter and then cover with a ziploc or other plastic bag. It stays perfectly fresh for almost two weeks as long as you regularly change the water and trim the bottoms of the stems.

Hi guys, thanks for all your feedback. I'm excited to hear about the method myhomespunhome mentions above. Like him/her, I've tried putting basil in water on the counter and it always inevitably wilts. Apparently all I have to do is cover it with a bag!

The very very best way to "store" herbs is to grow them. We tried using water, drying, all that stuff and our herbs still wilt. Our container-grown basil and lemon balm is vibrant as can be and that's because they're still growing after we bought them 3 months ago. It's like getting free food!

I agree that they don't need to be put in the fridge IF they are fresh cut from your garden. If they are bought from a farmer's market (but mostly from a grocery store) then the trip from dirt to your kitchen costs you a few days already and they will not last a week in a glass of water on the counter, no matter how often you change the water. In that case, put them in the fridge. Personally, I put them in a damp cloth or paper towel soaked at the ends and folded up around the bottoms of the herbs and put them in the insulated drawer in my fridge.

I wrap mine in a damp paper towel and store in the crisper. They keep a lot longer!

myhomespunhome, I'm surprised to hear that. I usually treat basil as if it were a bouquet of flowers: trim the stems, fill a vase with cool water, plunk in the basil, and put it on a table where I can catch the scent and sight of it all day long. As long as I change the water and pluck out any wilted stems, the basil will stay bright and fresh for a week or more. I wonder if I'm getting especially fresh basil?

(I used to put 'em in the fridge with a bag over the herbs, but one day we were out of fridge space so I tried this... and realized how much I loved having the bundle of herbs out where I could see it.)