Like most herbs, cilantro's really best when it's fresh. I used to have a problem with fresh herbs going bad before someone told me they'd last much longer if I'd treat them like cut flowers. It sounded crazy, but I tried it and it really works!
It's easy to do. The first step is to snip off the bottom of the stems. (I throw them in my freezer stock bag.) Next, fill a glass with a couple of inches of water and place the stem ends of the herbs into the water in the jar. Cover them loosely with a plastic bag and store in the refrigerator. Change the water after every couple of days or if the water starts to discolor.
Using this method, I've had fresh herbs last for more than a week. That's plenty of time to make a Mexican dinner. Or Indian. Or maybe Vietnamese. I wonder if I'll be making another trip to an ethnic grocery store?
Basil doesn't do well in the fridge but does fine on the counter. Sometimes I'll even put it out in a vase since the leaves are so pretty.
ReplyDeleteI've never bought fresh basil (cut it from the pot on my deck in the summer, and use dried in the winter) but that makes sense, since it's a warm weather plant.
DeleteI always keep my basil in a glass of water. It will last for three weeks if it comes in my CSA box where it was harvested the day it was delivered.
DeleteI do the same thing with my cilantro...it last so much longer. I do asparagus like that, too! You got a great deal on that, too! Nice!
ReplyDeleteI don't think I've ever had asparagus in the house long enough to worry about it staying fresh :-)
DeleteI've done the same thing with my parsley and cilantro and by golly it does work. I do the same thing with asparagus also, but I haven't covered it yet. Like you, we usually eat them before it gets too old.
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