Wilted Herbs? Here's How To Easily Revive Them

While they make a huge difference in your cooking, buying a bunch of fresh herbs can be a big commitment — and a potential waste — if you don't have plans to use them beyond one recipe. Although you might stare at them longingly every time you look in the fridge, intending to use them in your next recipe, it won't be long until they're completely wilted and destined for the compost pile. But basic signs of wilting don't mean they're completely unusable. In fact, wilted herbs can and should be salvaged. All you need is a simple glass of water to do so, and they'll be back and thriving in no time.

Regardless of what type of herb you're using, to revive them, simply chop their stems and stick them, stem-side down, into a container or glass of cold water. Pop the whole thing into the fridge, and overnight, you'll notice a big difference: What was once a saggy, sad-looking bunch will immediately perk up and look as if it were just harvested. While cold water should work just fine, you can also try this trick with boiling water. Pop your stems in a container of boiling water for about a minute, and then transfer them to a container of cool water. It might be an extra step, but the boiling water can help each stem take in water in a faster, more efficient way, allowing your herbs to rehydrate as quickly as possible.

This trick is also great for keeping your herbs fresh in the refrigerator before they've even started to wilt. You can pop a plastic bag over the top — the one you bought the herbs in works just fine — to help promote a more humid environment and ultimately give them a longer life. However, it's important to remember that herbs don't last forever, and although wilting isn't necessarily a bad sign, you should know what to look for when deciding whether or not they're worth keeping.

All herbs are different and will exhibit a wide range of symptoms when they're going bad. Generally, though, if they don't look green, they're probably nearing the end of their life. Beyond color changes, your herbs should have a strong smell, not a faint one, or a sour, rancid one. Additionally, mushy or slimy leaves are a bad sign, and if you're noticing any sort of white or gray fuzz, you should throw them out immediately. Once there are any signs of mold growth, they're too far gone, and you shouldn't seek to revive them, but if all you notice is a little droop, you should be all set to use your method of choice to spruce them back up. 

If you do happen to catch them before they've gone bad, but you aren't sure what to do with them, one easy way to repurpose wilted herbs is by chopping them up and throwing them in an ice cube tray. This will preserve them for a long while, and you can freeze them in either olive oil, water, or butter. Once you pop one of these onto a hot pan or into a cold glass of lemonade, your future self will thank you for preserving them.