Using and Preserving Fresh Herbs

I just got home from the store with some fresh parsley.  The store that I buy mine at usually has a sprayer that keeps the parsley pretty wet.  I select a bunch and put it in a plastic bag so that it doesn't make other things that I am buying also get wet.


This is what my parsley looks like when I get home from the store.  Notice how wet it is?

Unwrap your herbs if they are wet. 

Notice how some of the leaves (near the stems) are already bruised and crushed? 

Also the way it is wrapped with the leaves and stems tied together is a problem.  You know that those leaves are going to decay quickly, especially if you leave your bundle of parsley wrapped up and in the plastic bag. 

Very mixed and wet parsley.

I think I have thrown out parsley more times that I would like to count because of leaving it wrapped the way I brought it home from the store.  It really is a turn off when it smells rotten and is slimy to handle.

You really need to separate the individual stems of parsley when you first bring it home from the store. 

 Spread your parsley out on towels so that you can pull out the leaves that will rot and ruin the rest of the bunch.  Sort the stems by length if you want to put them into glasses or vases with water and you can keep them right on your countertop.

Short stems in smaller vase, Longer stems in tall glass. 

When I clean up the parsley like this, I will actually have fresh parsley on hand for at least a week.  Remember to change the water though, just like with fresh flowers.

You can use parsley in many ways:  freshly minced as a garnish, stems and all in a pasta sauce, or before they wilt you can throw them into the freezer and add to your soup/stock.  

Dry the parsley well and store in an airtight container. 

The very wet stems and leaves put into the freezer for later.

If you hate to throw out all those stems and leaves that were separated, just put them into the freezer and use later.  Using this method I will not waste any of the fresh herbs that I am paying top dollar for this winter.

Here's another way to preserve fresh herbs for even longer:

Make Herb-Garlic Salt.

 You can easily make your fresh herbs into a seasoned salt for meat, vegetables, or a delicious compound butter.

First, remove the stems from the leaf.  Finely chop with fresh garlic cloves and Kosher salt. 

Chop it all together: herb, salt and garlic.

Keep chopping.  You want this finely minced.

Add more salt and keep chopping.

Mix this into butter and it will keep for months in the freezer.  Put on vegetables, rice, pasta, whole grains, potatoes, or use as a spread on bread. 

When it is finely chopped, it is ready to use! 

This is one of the tricks you can use at home to make your fresh herbs go farther--especially at this time of year when many of us can't grown them. 

And feel free to pass it on....

Find more information at my website:  www.now-youre-cooking.com