Throw Your Herbs In The Air...

Big shout outs to the season! Miss Spring, honey, we are super excited to see you. All of your flowers and leaves and grass give us so much life. However, it is your herbs in particular that are giving us fever at The Spruce Eats this week. From the overlooked and sometimes maligned parsley and other soft herbs, to the hearty, woody rosemary, and everything in between, herbs are the magic touch to any meal.

Now here is the rub—the herb rub: What do you do after you have used five of the 100 leaves of basil in your bunch, or those intoxicating rosemary stems (perfect to use in place of skewers for kabobs), or the delicate cilantro before it loses its sabor?! Have no fear, The Spruce Eats team is here.

To help you maximize all that herbs have to offer, I am sharing with you our best methods on how to store herbs to make them last longer.

First, wash by floating them in a large bowl of water. Since the dirt is heavier than the herbs, it will sink to the bottom. Skim the herbs off the top before pouring out the dirty water. Then, gently dry them with a clean kitchen towel or with paper towels.

To store your newly-washed herbs, there are two methods of note: Standing herb stems in a jar with a little water and covering the leaves with a tented plastic bag, or gently wrapping your herbs in paper towels and storing them in a zip bag. Soft herbs, much like lettuce, need to be in a space where they can give off any excess water (vaporization) and receive water when needed (condensation). The tented bag method and the paper towel method each serve the same purpose.

A couple other ways to preserve those leaves are to air dry your herbs, or dry them in the microwave for future use. That way, when you do not have the fresh kind, you at least have the "freshly dried by you" kind—depending on your recipe, of course.

All said, if you are one to use all of the herbs while they are fresh and fully pungent, I say make condiments, infusions, and sauces with your leftover herbs—that is, while you sip on an herb-muddled cocktail.

Herb it up! Add to your meal planning by incorporating herbs into basic cooking ingredients like herbed salt, compound butter, infused olive oil and vinegars. These staple ingredients are the keys to great food. Why not bless them with some herb-love?!

Next, sauces and condiments: Classic basil pesto comes to mind first, but did you know you can pesto anything using your favorite soft herb (basil, parsley, cilantro), nut and cheese of choice? It's true! Then, I love preparing an herby gremolata for braised dishes and stews and a chimichurri for grilled meats and vegetables. It's the fresh final touch to heighten any dish's flavor.

Release those reins of herb doubt and run wild, my friends. (Slowly turning), now excuse me while I return to my basil gin cocktail… - Kysha Harris
Food Editor, The Spruce Eats