If they're just a little not vibrant, simply proceed. If they've gone fully brown and fuzzy, you're done, and should compost them. But next time, remember to throw a branch in whenever you're roasting anything, and into a pot of beans, and into stock. A rosemary branch thrown into cooking tomato sauce, then removed, is great, too. And both sage and rosemary tea--as long as they're just one sprig/branch--are delicious with honey.
You could also buy herb plants instead of cut herbs. I kill them at a great rate, have never succeeded at houseplants of any kind, but they do stay alive for a little while.
Another thing you can do is chop a mixture of herbs fine and store them in the fridge in a screw-top jar with one or two dessicant packets. I tend to do this with Mediterranean and/or Levantine herbs, and I call it "sabzi" because that's what the woman I learned in from called it.
Wild. I've never heard of this. Interesting that she called it "sabzi" which is, as you probably know, both Hindi and Urdu, and refers broadly to "vegetables." Which makes sense!
As an experiment, I made a little jar of this sabzi, kept it in the fridge for a month, and then used it a month later in a céleri-rave rémoulade (https://mcvl.substack.com/i/140722267/sunday-january). (Usually I use it up before a week is over.) To my surprise and delight, it was still pretty flavorful, not as good as fresh but not bad.
The woman from whom I learned about this "sabzi" was one of the most worldly and sophisticated people I've ever known, so she probably picked it up somewhere in her travels. The dessicant packets she used came with her fur coats, she told me. She kept her husband's ashes in a jar in the closet, which I thought was about the coolest thing I had ever heard of (in more than one sense of the word cool).
“The problem isn’t herb storage. It’s having varied and myriad enough herb uses.”
This right here is what sets this column apart from the rest. I love how you were able to find a whole new extra room of insight to the question behind this (fairly common) question (I too had a basil storage method work precisely once and then never again!! WHY)
Hooray for the season of hearty woody herbs! I find that thyme, rosemary and sage have a much longer life in my vegetable drawer than other herbs.
Rosemary is indefatigable. I love that about it!!!
What do you do when the rosemary leaves are no longer vibrant green???
If they're just a little not vibrant, simply proceed. If they've gone fully brown and fuzzy, you're done, and should compost them. But next time, remember to throw a branch in whenever you're roasting anything, and into a pot of beans, and into stock. A rosemary branch thrown into cooking tomato sauce, then removed, is great, too. And both sage and rosemary tea--as long as they're just one sprig/branch--are delicious with honey.
Thank you for your wise advice!
I love the way you segue from a Zen retreat to the problem (and solution!) of herb storage!
Ha! I mean...it's all connected, right?
Such good advice! 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
Oh, thank you! What are your favorite herb uses?
Definitely in dressings and pestos! Yum!
You could also buy herb plants instead of cut herbs. I kill them at a great rate, have never succeeded at houseplants of any kind, but they do stay alive for a little while.
I like the practicality of this! The winter is a tough time for it, but starting plants in the spring does make the whole thing easier.
Another thing you can do is chop a mixture of herbs fine and store them in the fridge in a screw-top jar with one or two dessicant packets. I tend to do this with Mediterranean and/or Levantine herbs, and I call it "sabzi" because that's what the woman I learned in from called it.
Wild. I've never heard of this. Interesting that she called it "sabzi" which is, as you probably know, both Hindi and Urdu, and refers broadly to "vegetables." Which makes sense!
As an experiment, I made a little jar of this sabzi, kept it in the fridge for a month, and then used it a month later in a céleri-rave rémoulade (https://mcvl.substack.com/i/140722267/sunday-january). (Usually I use it up before a week is over.) To my surprise and delight, it was still pretty flavorful, not as good as fresh but not bad.
The woman from whom I learned about this "sabzi" was one of the most worldly and sophisticated people I've ever known, so she probably picked it up somewhere in her travels. The dessicant packets she used came with her fur coats, she told me. She kept her husband's ashes in a jar in the closet, which I thought was about the coolest thing I had ever heard of (in more than one sense of the word cool).
“The problem isn’t herb storage. It’s having varied and myriad enough herb uses.”
This right here is what sets this column apart from the rest. I love how you were able to find a whole new extra room of insight to the question behind this (fairly common) question (I too had a basil storage method work precisely once and then never again!! WHY)
Oh, I'm so glad. Let me know which uses you end up...using!