I cannot tell you how many bunches of cilantro I have thrown away. I buy it for one recipe — tacos, usually — use a third of the bunch, put the rest back in the fridge in the plastic bag it came in, and find it a week later as a puddle of dark green slime at the bottom of the produce drawer. It smells awful and I feel guilty every time.

Turns out cilantro is not doomed to die in five days. It just needs to be treated like a bouquet of flowers. Here is the method that keeps it fresh for two full weeks.

The Jar Method (Works for Cilantro, Parsley, and Basil with Adjustments)

1. When you get home from the store, do not wash the cilantro. Moisture on the leaves accelerates rot. Only wash what you are about to use.
2. Trim the bottom of the stems — just the very ends, about half an inch, like you would trim flower stems before putting them in a vase. Use sharp scissors or a knife. A clean cut absorbs water better than the crushed, dried-out end from the store.
3. Fill a jar or drinking glass with about an inch of water. You want the stems in water, not the leaves. Leaves sitting in water rot.
4. Put the cilantro in the jar, stems down, like flowers in a vase. Loosely cover the leaves with a plastic bag — the produce bag it came in works fine. Do not seal it tight. The bag traps humidity so the leaves do not dry out, but it needs airflow to prevent condensation and mold.
5. Put the jar in the fridge. Change the water every 3-4 days or when it starts to look cloudy.

This method keeps cilantro fresh for 10-14 days. The stems drink the water and the leaves stay perky. When you need cilantro, you pull the jar out, snip what you need, and put it back. It is faster than digging through the produce drawer and you can see exactly how much you have left.

Basil Is Different — Do Not Refrigerate It

Basil turns black in the fridge. The cold damages the cell walls. Treat basil the same way — jar of water on the counter, stems trimmed, loose plastic bag over the leaves — but keep it on the kitchen counter, not the fridge. It will last a week at room temperature. Change the water every other day.

Mint and Rosemary: The Damp Paper Towel Method

Woody herbs like rosemary, thyme, and oregano last longer with lower humidity. Wrap them loosely in a slightly damp paper towel, put them in a sealed bag or container, and store in the crisper drawer. They will last 2-3 weeks. Mint works best with the jar method like cilantro.

If It Is Already Wilting

If your cilantro is wilted but not slimy — the leaves are limp but not brown — you can revive it. Trim the stems, put it in a jar of ice water, and leave it on the counter for an hour. The cold water shocks the cells back into absorbing moisture. It will not be as good as fresh, but it is usable.

Once it is slimy or brown — it is gone. Compost it and buy a new bunch. And then use the jar method so you never compost cilantro again.