How to Keep Fresh Herbs at Your Fingertips All Summer Long

Discover an easy trick for keeping fresh herbs clean, vibrant, and ready to use. Perfect for summer cooking and beautiful on your kitchen counter.

Five years ago, after nearly four decades in Raleigh, NC, we moved to the mountains near Asheville to be closer to family. While we love our new home and the breathtaking scenery, one thing was missing: space for Scott's wonderful raised-bed vegetable garden and my beloved herb patch.

From a big garden to a small space

Here in the mountains, we're surrounded by a zillion trees, which make for lots of shade. That's great for cool mornings and mild days, but not so great for growing herbs. Thankfully, our local farmers' markets are overflowing with fresh produce, and my ingenious husband came up with a perfect solution for growing my beloved herbs (in great abundance!)

A great solution!

Scott discovered a sunny strip near our driveway that gets at least six hours of direct sun, the perfect spot for a VegTrug, an elevated planter ideal for vegetables and herbs. No bending, no kneeling, and the optional greenhouse cover (it fits right over the black frame in cooler weather) means I can start planting early and extend my harvest into the fall.

My herbs are happy little campers, as you can see!

The problem: wet hard-to-chop herbs (and a lazy cook)

Even though the VegTrug is close to the kitchen, I often hesitated to run outside mid-recipe, especially if a sudden mountain downpour rolled in (or, let's be honest, if I was feeling a bit lazy).

Another challenge? Washing herbs right before using them often leaves them slick, difficult to chop, and sometimes a little slimy... not exactly the beautiful garnish you want after preparing a lovely meal.

The solution: my simple trick for always-ready herbs

A few years ago, I learned a clever method for keeping fresh herbs clean, dry, and ready to use all summer long. Here goes:

• Clip frequently - about twice a week, early in the day, I cut big bunches of herbs and bring them inside. The more you trim, the faster they grow!
• Wash gently - rinse them under cool running water or swish them in a big bowl of clean water. I try to keep each variety together. Shake gently to remove excess moisture.
• Arrange in water - place the clean herbs in glasses, small pots or vases filled with fresh water. Sometimes I add clear stones to help arrange the pretty herbs.
• Keep the pretty green "bouquets" on the kitchen counter or windowsill - they dry quickly and will stay fresh for up to a week. They make my kitchen feel cheerful and fresh and always make me smile when I enter the kitchen!

Fresh herbs for every meal

Every other day, I change out the water to keep my little friends healthy and vibrant. Whenevery I'm cooking, I simply pull a sprig or two and I'm ready to chop, slice, sprinkle, or stir it in.

Once you start cooking with fresh herbs you'll find that they're quite magical, adding delicious flavor to everything - salads, soups, pasta, bread, grilled entrees, desserts, beverages, etc.

Like I said; everything! In fact, one of our all-time most favorite reader recipe is this East Sweet Basil Vinaigrette, pictured below.

No garden? No problem!

This trick also works beautifully with bunches of herbs from the farmer's market. Just skip the packaged grocery-store herbs, they've been away from "their mama" too long and won't last.

Whether you grow your own or pick them up at the market, this simple herb storage method will save you steps, keep your herbs beautiful, and make it effortless to add fresh flavor to every summer meal.

Summer is the time to use them with great abandon as they are readily available and can transform your meals from average to extraordinary.

If you don't have space or time to grow fresh herbs, this method will also work with the bunches of summer herbs sold at farmer's markets. Don't try it with grocery store herbs in the little plastic packets, though great in the winter when it's all we have, they've been away from "their mama" for too long to work with this little trick.

Try it!

If you love fresh herbs, you'll love this simple little trick! If you grow your own or purchase them at your local farmers' market, this technizue will save you lots of steps and time. It will also make it super easy to always have these fragrant, tasty sprigs of deliciousness at your fingertips for cooking all summer long! ENJOY!

Thought for the day:

Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for He who promised is faithful. Hebrews 10:23

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