How to store fresh herbs

Just picked your fresh herbs from your aspara machine but don’t know what to do after? This post will teach you exactly how to store your herbs so they stay fresh for longer.

First, before we delve into how to store herbs, it is important to realise herbs can fall into 1 of 2 categories: tender and hard herbs. Tender herbs mean they have tender stems and soft leaves, whereas hard herbs have woody stems and leaves. At aspara, all our herbs are tender, so can all be treated the same way. However, we will still go over how you would store hard herbs such as thyme and rosemary in this blog post.

TENDER herbs:
When storing tender herbs, NEVER put them in the fridge. Always treat them with as much attention as you would a bouquet of flowers from your significant other. Firstly, trim the stems of your herbs. Then place them in a vase of cool water and change the water every few days to keep them fresh. If you were to place your hard earned basil in the fridge, it would go black within a short period of time, rendering your basil useless.

HARD herbs:
Storing hard herbs requires slightly less effort than tender herbs. When storing herbs like thyme and rosemary, simply wrap them in a damp paper towel. Store the bundle of herbs in an airtight container and place it in the crisper section of your fridge. By storing them this way the herbs don’t dry out and oxygen cannot get to them, keeping them fresh for longer.

How long to store herbs for:
In general, a rule of thumb is that when the herbs turn dark or brittle it’s time to throw them away.

Tender:
Coriander- 3 weeks
Dill- 3 weeks
Parsley- 3 weeks
Basil- 2 weeks
Hard: Rosemary-3 weeks
Thyme-2 weeks
Sage-2 weeks
Chives-1 week