This Tip Will Help You Store Your Herbs So They’re Prettier — And Last Way Longer
The other day, Kaitlin Garske, our senior social media manger, slacked a photo to me. There were no words at first, but I could already tell that she was on to something brilliant. What’s so smart about this photo? Take a look (it’s the pic below) and see for yourself.
Feeling inspired by Beauty and the Beast (she wanted me to make that part clear!), she took a glass cloche and placed it over a little bud vase filled with herbs. So simple and yet so smart.
“When I store more hearty herbs in the fridge, I just stick them in a jar with water and cover them with a plastic grocery bag,” Kaitlin says. “It’s ugly, but I don’t care — out of sight, out of mind! But when I have fresh herbs I need to store on the counter (I find that sage, mint, and basil do poorly in the fridge), the plastic bag trick just doesn’t do it for me. The kitchen doesn’t look clean with a bunched-up plastic bag on the counter, even if I know it’s covering herbs. And if I leave them uncovered, they wilt.”
“Finally, it occurred to me to just use a glass cloche that I bought for displaying desserts. A glass bowl would work too, or a glass dome that comes with a cake stand. Just trim your herbs when you bring them home (like a bunch of flowers), so they can draw up more water, and peel off any leaves that will be below the waterline — otherwise they’ll rot. Put them in a short bud vase and cover with the cloche to keep in the humidity. For best results, don’t let them sit in direct sunlight, or they may get too hot.”
“Stored like this, with water changes every other day, the herbs will stay fresh for about a week. And don’t be surprised if they grow more while they’re hanging out in their little make-shift greenhouse! The mint and sage in this photo have both grown new leaves since I brought them home three days ago.”
How do you store your fresh herbs?