Tips & Tricks: Keeping fresh herbs fresh

I can never go back to dried herbs. The incredible flavor fresh herbs add to a dish is impossible to match -- that's just the truth of the matter. Dried herbs are great and they serve a purpose, but fresh herbs ... well ... there's just no comparison.

But fresh herbs cost more and they usually go bad -- fast.

So how would a money-conscious, conscientious cooker go about incorporating fresh herbs into their everyday cooking (try saying that 3 times, fast)?

Allow me to demonstrate.

I can't remember where I learned this trick, but it really, truly works. I use it mostly for my parsley, cilantro and asparagus (I know asparagus is not an herb). Basil and green onions apply the same principle, but they do better outside the fridge and in the sun. I kid you not -- with this method I can get two weeks out of my parsley and cilantro. Basil and green onions will last nearly indefinitely.

So here's the magic:

1. Take your fresh herbs and cut off the very end of the stems. Remove any rubber bands or twist-ties.

2. Fill a small cup or container with cool water and place the herbs stem-down in the container, just like a flower in a vase.

3. For cilantro or parsley, lightly cover the cup or container with a plastic produce bag (use the one you brought the herbs home in) and put herbs in the least cold part of your fridge.

For asparagus, you don't need to cover with a produce bag. Step 2 is all you need to do before putting it in the fridge.

For basil and green onions*, put the container on a sunlit windowsill or counter. Check every other day or so to make sure the water isn't gone.

*I buy my green onions at the grocery store. When I initially use them, I cut them down to where it starts to get white. I put the remaining little white bulbs in the water and the green onions regenerate. Yes, they grow back and in about a week, you can cut them down again! 

It's really that simple, folks.

Go.

Live your dreams of fresh herbs in every meal.