Maintain Your Herbs

 

Before we start first find out which Herb are u working with? Soft Herbs or Woddy Herbs? Soft herbs are generally categorized by their flexible, tender green stems with leafy, soft leaves such as parsley, cilantro, basil, and mint. Hard herbs have woody stems with firmer leaves such as sage, rosemary, thyme, and oregano. The two kinds will require different storing methods to best ensure the levels of light, temperature, oxygen, and moisture are balanced to avoid spoilage.

Step 1: Washing your herbs will remove dirt and bacteria that will promote even more rapid decay. Simply wash your herbs under cold, running water, and remove all moisture in a salad spinner to ensure your greens are as dry as possible before storing.

Step 2: Implement the “wet jar method” by gathering your herbs in a bunch and trimming the ends, as you would a bouquet of flowers. Add water to the jar so that only the ends are in water and NOT the leaves. Seal the Jar, change the water when discoloration starts.

Step 3: Loosely wrap your hard, woody herbs in a slightly damp paper towel to keep your herbs moist enough so they don’t dry out. Place in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator or resealable bag to restrict oxygen from entering and avoid wilting. The damp paper towel ensures that the herbs won’t dry out and will keep them fresh for up to 2 weeks

Step 4: Proper care of your fresh herbs will extend shelf life upwards of two to three weeks. However, if you find that you won’t need as much supply as you had previously anticipated, dry or freeze them instead. Bundle your herbs with a rubber band, place in a paper lunch bag with holes for aeration, and hang upside down in a warm, dry room until they are crisp to the touch and crumble easily.

Dried herbs are a useful way to cut down on salt. At Fresh Rush Foods we have Fresh as well as Dried Herbs available for use. If you feel the pressure of maintaining good fresh herbs TRY the Dried Variants, Just as Healthy, and Beneficial.

In a recipe, 1 tsp dried herbs equal 1 tbsp fresh so go ahead substitute.