How to properly store fresh herbs in the refrigerator
Spicy herbs just brought from the market or your own summer cottage smell so wonderful! But for some reason, even in the refrigerator, they quickly turn into unappetizing wilted hay … How to store greens so that they remain fresh for a long time? Experienced housewives do this with the help of special tricks. Here are some culinary secrets.
How to store herbs in the refrigerator
Fragrant bunches of dill, cilantro, basil, parsley spoil if placed in inappropriate conditions. The main enemies of freshness:
- Sunlight. It destroys chlorophyll, especially in delicate herbs – parsley, cilantro. They start to turn yellow.
- Oxygen. Open air access to plants torn from the roots leads to the fact that the leaves curl and turn brown.
- Excessive moisture. Water vapor from the air contributes to decay. The leaves and stems become covered with mucus or mold. This happens if you leave the greens in the store packaging.
- Lack of moisture. Water evaporates from the plants, causing them to lose their aroma and dry out.
To preserve greens longer, you need to eliminate the listed factors.
If the herbs are to be used in the coming days, you can store them out of the refrigerator. To do this, the purchased product is freed from packaging, and plants from their own garden are thoroughly cleaned of roots and lower leaves stained with soil. The grass should never be washed! It is sorted by type (dill – separately, cilantro – separately, etc.) and each bundle is wrapped in parchment, cotton or linen. The bundles are put away in the kitchen cabinet. In this form, the plants will remain fresh for 3-4 days.
Basil and mint are placed in a deep jar, at the bottom of which water is poured in a layer of 2 cm. This “bouquet” can just stand on the kitchen table, the main thing is that it does not fall on direct sunlight. Change the water daily and trim the stems a little.
How to store herbs in the refrigerator
Almost all herbs are best placed in the refrigerator. There are several effective ways to prepare plants for storage:
- Remove from the store packaging, wrap in a paper towel and put in a bag with a fastener. If the inside of the plants begins to dry out, a paper towel should be lightly sprinkled with water. This method is effective for storing dense herbs such as sage, rosemary, thyme, but also for delicate chives.
- Wrap greens in a damp piece of natural fabric (cotton, linen), put on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator.
- Put the bunch vertically in a plastic bucket from under mayonnaise, into which a little water is poured, put on a plastic bag with a fastener on top, put on the lower shelf of the refrigerator. This is the best way for soft herbs – parsley, cilantro.
- Wrap the bundle in a black bag, put on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator.
These methods are suitable for all culinary plants except basil and mint, which quickly turn black in the refrigerator.
Knowing how to properly store greens, you will buy fresh herbs every 2 weeks. If you want to make a stock for a long time, you should use salting, drying or freezing.