Want to keep basil fresh (and parsley, too) in your kitchen without having it in dirt? It’s easy and if you like, you can plant it in a pot or outside, later, too!
Basil is my favorite herb. To me, it screams summer, and there are so many recipes in which I use fresh basil.
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For example~
Quick and Easy Authentic Pasta Sauce
And Gnudi al Sugo.
Sometimes, only fresh will do, such as in bruschetta, so it’s lovely to have some handy in your kitchen. It’s not difficult to do, either.
You can look on this post on my visit to a beautiful grand hotel in Bellagio (on Lake Como) to watch a video of my pasta being finished table-side where the waiter snips fresh basil from a plant in front of me!
How to Keep Basil Fresh in Your Kitchen Year Round
Many people don’t have time to garden, so having fresh basil (and parsley) on hand is a luxury. Here’s a fabulous idea for those of us who either don’t have the time or the soil to grow our own garden: when you buy fresh basil or parsley, for example, give the ends a snip with scissors and put the stems in a glass, a jar or even a vase filled with water.
When your recipe needs fresh basil or parsley, you won’t even have to go outside to pick it!
The herbs will last for weeks, and the basil will eventually start rooting (see photo below) so if you do have some time and dirt, you can even plant it.
(The herbs in these pics have been the jar over a week-remember to change and refill the water often.)
UPDATED POST: this is a week later-look at those roots!
If you find yourself with too much basil to keep on the kitchen counter, basil is great to freeze.
Here’s another post on freezing parsley that you may find useful in preserving lots of garden parsley, too!
And if you ever have droopy Gerbera daisies, refer to this to revive them in an almost miraculous manner!
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How to Keep Fresh Basil and Parsley in Your Kitchen Year Round
How to keep basil fresh and start it growing.
Materials
- cut basil stems and/or
- cut parsley stems
- water
- jar
Tools
- kitchen scissors
Instructions
- Cut the ends of the stems of the herbs.
- Place them in a jar with water.
- Change the water every few days.
- (Optional) after rooting you can plant them.
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Thanks for the awesome idea!! Ive had a few stems of parsley and basil in a glass jar (with the stems immersed in water) for over 2 weeks and they still haven’t grown roots, although they still look healthy. Is there something I’m doing wrong? The only strange thing I noticed is that the stem of thr basil was starting to rot/turn brown towards the bottom so I cut it and tried regrowing it. Could that be part of the issue?? Thanks in advance!
THe basil roots VERY quickly, so not sure why that’s not working for you unless it’s really hot? The parsley will take longer, so try still working on it staying in the water. Maybe try changing out the water and keeping it fresh so the basil roots and doesn’t go brown?
[…] another little gardening tip you may enjoy if you like to use basil and […]
Hi Christina, I love pimento peppers, I use them a lot, they can be pricey sometimes at farmers market… I’ll like to know if you have any ideas how I can keep them outdoors during summer, when I take the trees indoors I lose them to dehydration or whatever, I’m not sure exactly what causes them to become dehydrated, and eventually die.. Can you offer any advice please….
Hi Myrleen, I know how frustrating it is to try to keep your plants thriving. I’m not a pro, by any means, so hopefully this will be helpful to you: https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/vegetables/pepper/growing-pimento-peppers.htm I can say that I do give my plants epsom salt as is suggested in this article. Good luck!
[…] one or two large basil leaves into little pieces and place all 3 ingredients into a […]
[…] Now, whenever you want parsley, you can easily reach for your bag or container from the freezer. It comes out easily and should be used within a few weeks. Easy, right? Now you know how to freeze fresh parsley! I also wrote about keeping parsley and basil in your kitchen a few years ago and you can read that post here. […]
Hi. I love the idea!!! Thanks for sharing :)
I wanted to ask, what other herbs will root? Just the basil?
Thank you!!
You’re welcome, Pam! It’s really nice to have what you need at your fingertips (I hate running outside in the middle of making a dish)! I do believe you should have luck with most herbs. I’ve done it with rosemary, although it takes much longer to see roots. Just make sure that you’re using a stem in the water, for example if you just put parsley leaves in a jar, they will never sprout roots–you’d have to put a piece of parsley with the main stem attached. Good luck!
Posts like this are great! You are sharing information that some people might not be aware of! I use the jars from the 3-wick candles that you can get at Bath and Body Works just for this purpose. Once the candle is gone, put the jar in the freezer for a few hours, then take a knife and pop out the remaining wax, and give it a good scrub or run it through the dish washer. Works great for storing fresh herbs!
Somehow I missed this! Yes, another great tip, Kim, thank you so much! I love reusing things like glass candle jars.
This is an amazing idea! I am so going to do this in the fall when my outside herbs die! Sharing on my Walking on Sunshine FB page tomorrow at 2:00. Thank you!
I’m glad you are going to do this, because I know you’ll love it! Thanks for sharing, Lois! :)