Anyone who uses fresh herbs in the kitchen knows they have the power to transform ordinary dishes into something extraordinary! But what happens when you go to make Ree Drummond's herb roasted pork tenderloin or guacamole with loads of cilantro only to find the herbs from your herb garden have started to droop or turn brown?
Well, you certainly don't want to scrap dinner—and while you could just use your wilted plants and hope the taste isn't impacted or put a pause on meal prep to run to the grocery store, The Pioneer Woman actually has a much easier solution.
No matter how well you store fresh herbs, you're bound to see some wilting in your bundle. It happens to the best of us, including Ree! She recently took to her Instagram to share a photo of her sad cilantro and added a super handy cooking tip to revive those wilted herbs.
"Just a reminder not to throw out wilted herbs," she says, adding that you should, "just snip the ends of the stems and stick 'em in water." How easy is that? You'll want to put clean, cold water in a glass for the snipped herbs to soak up. The amount of time your herbs will need to stay in the container will vary. We suggest starting with an hour, then going from there—but you should be able to tell when they're ready! Just don't let your herbs soak for too long or else they will become waterlogged.
As for Ree's cilantro, she left hers in for about three hours... and well, the proof is in the pictures! 🤩
We should also note that this trick works best for soft herbs like cilantro, parsley, mint, basil, dill, and chervil. You may also be able to perk up some of your soft veggies in the same way! Stalks of celery, broccoli rabe, and bok choy may benefit from a good soaking. So the next time your herbs aren't as lively as you'd like, give Ree's sage advice a try.
Keep Your Herbs Fresh for Cooking
The Pioneer Woman Sweet Rose Herb Keeper
Macie Reynolds is the assistant editor of E-Commerce and SEO for The Pioneer Woman.
