I love having fresh herbs on hand for cooking. There’s nothing quite like the taste. It’s lovely to be able to top my Beef Stew with Butternut Squash and Chickpeas with some fresh chopped Parsley or tuck some fresh Cilantro into a soft taco.
I have tried many times to grow Cilantro, because it’s one of my favorite fresh herbs. I would put it in everything, if I could. I have yet to be successful at growing it. I think part of it is that I live in a pretty warm climate and the other part is that I am not good at keeping plants alive. I have been successful growing Rosemary and Oregano. They must be pretty hardy because I do nothing with them and they continue to thrive.
One things I can do though is keep herbs fresh in my refrigerator for several weeks. I do this with both Cilantro and Parsley, as those are the two main herbs I use. It took me a long time to figure out how to keep them fresh and I tried many different methods. I’m going to share my “secret” with you. Hopefully it works for you, too!
Here’s what I do: When I bring my herbs home from the grocery, I dunk them in a large bowl of cool water. I let them sit for a little while. Then, I change out the water a couple of times until there’s not any dirt or grit left in the bowl. Next, I dry the herbs well and cut about an inch or two off the stems. I shove the bunch of herbs in a glass, fill it with water and put the glass in the door of my refrigerator. Every three to four days I pour out the water and put fresh water back in.
They will keep for over a week!
In fact most of the time, I can keep them for several weeks, especially if I am diligent about changing the water. It’s so great to have cilantro on hand when I want to make Black Bean and Corn Salsa or a nice fresh tomato salsa. Give this method a try and let me know how it works for you.
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