I threw away more cilantro in 2022 than I care to admit. Buy a bunch for taco Tuesday, use three sprigs, stick the rest in the fridge. Three days later: slime. Every time.

Then a friend who runs a small restaurant showed me how they handle herbs. Restaurants cannot afford to throw away produce. They have systems. Here is the system.

Soft herbs: treat them like flowers

Cilantro, parsley, basil, mint, dill — these are soft-stemmed herbs. Trim the stem ends, stand them in a jar with an inch of water, cover loosely with a plastic bag, and refrigerate. They last two to three weeks this way. Change the water every three days like you would for cut flowers.

The plastic bag creates a mini greenhouse effect that keeps humidity high without letting condensation drip directly onto the leaves — which causes rot. Do not seal the bag tight. A loose drape is what you want.

One exception: basil hates the cold. Keep basil on the counter in a jar of water, away from direct sun. Refrigerated basil turns black within a day because the cells rupture at fridge temperature.

Hard herbs: wrap and chill

Rosemary, thyme, oregano, sage — these have woody stems. They do better wrapped loosely in a damp paper towel inside a zip-top bag, then into the crisper drawer. The damp towel provides humidity without direct water contact, which would make woody stems rot. They last three to four weeks this way.

Freeze what you cannot use

If a bunch is clearly more than you will use in a month, freeze it. Chop the herbs, pack them into an ice cube tray, cover with olive oil or water, and freeze. Pop out one cube per recipe. The oil version works better for cooking — you are adding oil anyway, and the fat carries flavor better than water.

Frozen herbs lose their fresh garnish quality but keep their cooking flavor. Basil cubes go straight into pasta sauce. Cilantro cubes into soup. Rosemary cubes under chicken skin before roasting.

The paper towel trick for pre-washed herbs

If you buy those plastic clamshells of pre-washed herbs, open them immediately when you get home. Slide a dry paper towel inside, close the lid. The towel absorbs excess moisture — which is what turns herbs slimy — while the clamshell keeps humidity from dropping too low. One paper towel doubles the life of those supermarket packs.