How to store basil – RecipeTin Eats

After trying every which way to store basil so it doesn’t turn brown within a day of buying it, I’ve finally learnt how to store basil so it stays perky, green and fresh for over a week. Just stick it in a jar of water and keep it on the counter. That’s right – not in the fridge!

How to store basil

Follow these instructions and your basil will stay fresh for over a week.

1. Remove basil from plastic sleeve;

2. Trim 3cm / 1.2″ off the stem;

3. Stick it in a glass with water;

4. Keep it on the counter in a bright area but away from direct sunlight.

Change the water every few days. Treat it like you would a vase of flowers!

general notes / tips

• Fridge – If you stick the basil in the fridge, the basil will turn brown and die. Basil likes warmth!

• Trimming the stem – Prior to doing this, the success rate was 85%. After doing this, the success rate has been 100%!

• Root growth – If you keep the basil alive long enough, it will eventually grow roots then you can plant it!

• Hot weather – It survives! I have left the basil for 5 consecutive days in a kitchen with all the windows closed and no air conditioning where 2 of the days were very hot 32°C summer days. The kitchen area gets blasted with morning sun and it gets very warm in here on hot days without air conditioning. It wasn’t quite as perky as the day I left it, but it wasn’t floppy or brown and still in excellent condition. In fact, here is the exact bunch in question:

The leaves got a bit wrinkly and the leaves on some of the stems that ended up above the water line were a bit floppy (most of the water had evaporated). But it is still in much better condition that 24 hours in the fridge!

Other methods I’ve tried

You name it, I’ve tried it. Loosely wrapped in paper towels, in “ballooned” freezer bags, makeshift greenhouse, in airtight containers, in containers with racks on the base, leaving it in the plastic sleeve it came in. The most success I had was in a glass of water loosely covered with a freezer bag in the fridge door where it survived 4 days, but I had to wipe condensation off the inside of the bag every day. What a pain!

Basil pot plants – In the end, I had resorted to buying the disposable basil pot plants and snipping off what I needed. But these pots don’t yield enough when I want to make a giant batch of pesto! So on those occasions, I was getting basil on the day I needed it.

Suffice to say, this basil storing solution has been a game changer. Ever since I started using it, I’ve had a 100% success rate.

All credit to my brother for figuring this out. The world thanks you!

Now, go stock up on basil so you can make pesto when you feel like it, rather than running out to get basil on the day you want it! – Nagi x

What to make with basil now that you know how to store it!