Keep fresh basil, chives, dill, parsley, tarragon and other favorites in the fridge. They’ll make any savory dish taste better—from breakfast to dinner. Use fresh herbs and you don’t need to add as much salt (or any sugar) to recipes.

Snip them into, or garnish:

• Boiled, fried, poached or scrambled eggs
• Soup—add a generous garnish or stir into the soup right before serving
• Green salad, egg/chicken/tuna/seafood salad, macaroni and potato salad—herbs really perk up the flavor
• Potatoes—baked, boiled, hash brown or mashed; sprinkle over French fries
• Anything else that needs a bit of color and flavor

If you find that your herbs only last a day or two in the refrigerator and can’t figure out why, the number one culprit is usually overexposure to moisture due to built-up condensation.

An herb saver is a more formal way to
preserve your herbs. Photo courtesy
Cuisipro.

• Instead of keeping your herbs in the plastic bag in which you bought them, loosely wrap them in a sheet or two of paper towel to absorb excess condensation.
• If you have room, another tip is to “plant” the herbs in a glass filled with enough water to cover the roots, and cover with a plastic bag.
• If you want to get really fancy, there are herb savers that do the same as the water-glass-and-plastic-bag approach.