How To :: Make Your Cilantro Last for Weeks
A few tricks will help keep your cilantro last for weeks in the fridge without spoiling! Save these tricks for several herbs, too.Â
When Ben and I moved in together, we had some issues with cohabitating… it’s always a challenge learning to live together. Like learning who likes to sleep on which side of the bed, and how he likes to organize the fridge… or how I don’t organize the fridge, like at all. My organizational structure was something like Open-Door-Throw-In-Before-It-Falls-Out. One day he was attempting to organize the fridge while I was at work and he found that I had two half empty cartons of eggs tucked in the back of the fridge I didn’t even know I had. And a couple of bags of herbs that had turned to goo… It was a problem.
It was a good things eggs last for a long time. Herbs? Typically not so much. BUT! They can! Just not wadded up in the back of the fridge.
The sheer number of bundles of cilantro I have thrown away over the years is staggering! But I figured out, thanks to my mom that they can last for WEEKS in the fridge with a few little tricks!
When you bring home your cilantro, immediately unwrap it and source yourself a pair of scissors, or kitchen shears. If a set of knives is all you have, that’s kosher too! What you want to do is take off that bottom half inch of sad, dead ends of cilantro and open up those fresh ends of the stems. Just like fresh cut flowers.
Next, take a small, short glass and fill with about a half inch of water. You don’t want too much water or else the stems will get too soft and mushy. And the water will need to be changed every once in a while as well.
Sad gross ends. Ew. Throw these out.
Now that these are in the water, take the bag that the cilantro came in tent the cilantro. This will help protect the cilantro from the chilliness of the fridge and keep it from freezing.
Poof!! 
I keep my cilantro tent on the top front shelf of my fridge, which is one of the warmer parts of my fridge to keep it from freezeing and for easy access since cilantro is one of my favorite herbs – EVER. Cilantro can keep this was for weeks, even up to a month if kept properly. See how long yours lasts next time you pick some cilantro up at the store. That is, if you don’t use it up all at once!
 Try these other How-To’s to brush up on more kitchen knowledge in the new year!
How to Make Salted Caramel Sauce
 
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Great tip! I throw away SO much cilantro. I tried a variation of this before but everything went wilty. So now I’m going to try adding just a little bit of water and use the bag tent. Thanks!
Thanks for the tip. I hate throwing out fresh herbs. They are too expensive in my area.
Thanks for this How-To! I seem to never be able to use all of the cilantro before it goes bad. So sad. Can’t wait to try this tip out.
This is such a great tip! I can’t tell you how many times I’ve wasted cilantro because it went bad after a couple days in the vegetable drawer!
Fantastic tip!! What a lifesaver!
I knew the water and the ends trick, but not the tenting. Thanx
So fantastic, I knew about trimming the ends and sticking it in water, but tenting it with the bag, that is new. Fabulous!
We’re 7 days in and you may have just made my year! Thanks for this!!
Yeah, my fridge organizing technique is just like yours. And I’ve also thrown away bags upon bags of cilantro and parsley. Thanks so much for sharing your technique for keeping them fresh.
GENIUS!!! Love your how-to’s!!!
I think this is my first time on your blog and I’m loving your easy how-to’s. This bad herb problem is something I’ve always encountered and it’s a bummer when a big bundle goes to waste so fast. Who knew something so easy just like what you do with fresh cut flowers could be applied to herbs. Thanks for the tip. I’ll be doing this today!
Thank you so much Connie!! I’m so thrilled the how-to’s are a hit!
I like your how to’s. Short,sweet, and to the point!
Thanks, Lindsey!! Glad you are enjoying the how-to’s!