When you need to add an extra dash of flavour to your meals or marinades, you can’t go wrong with fresh herbs. From dill and coriander to parsley and basil, they all have a unique flavour profile and can instantly give your food so much more depth.
However, if you buy them from the supermarket regularly, you’ll know that they rarely stay fresh for very long. It’s often just a few days before your once-green herbs are limp, brown and soggy. So if you want to make them last for up to a month, then there’s one handy storage trick you should take note of.
TikToker Spicy Moustache, who often posts helpful zero-waste hacks and advice on social media, recently made a video focusing on how people can make the most out of their weekly shop by boosting the lifespan of their fresh produce.
Highlighting herbs as one of the foods known for going off, he says you can make them stay fresh for ‘one month’ if you store them a certain way in the fridge.
So if you want to try out the hack for yourself, all you need is a cloth and a sealable box.
Take your cloth and run it under the tap or dunk it in a bowl of water, then wring it out so that it’s still damp but not soaking wet. Then, use it to line any sealable container that you have to hand.
If the full cloth doesn’t fit in, don’t worry – you’ll use the remaining sides later.
Lay the fresh herbs inside, before using any remaining pieces of the cloth to cover your fresh produce.
Make sure there are no pieces of the cloth outside of the box, as you’ll now need to close the lid tightly.
The expert says that doing this will keep them fresh for up to four weeks, which is a lot longer than they usually tend to last.
Not only does this nifty hack prolong their lifespan, but it can also help to ‘lock in flavour and moisture’ to your herbs, making them taste even better, and in turn, making your cooking taste more delicious too.