At markets in the spring, abundant, well-priced bunches of herbs can be just as tempting as strawberries and asparagus. But bringing them home often means that one’s best intentions collide with the harsh realities: Herbs can go from sprightly to swampy before you have time to use them up. The simple tips that follow can help you make sure they never go to waste.

1. Choose your herbs wisely.

Herbs at a grocery store in New York, April 24, 2025. Avoid herb bunches with wilted, limp or waterlogged leaves, and look for well-hydrated stems. (James Estrin/The New York Times)

Look for the freshest herbs you can find, which can last longer in the fridge and freezer, suggests Nasim Alikhani, the chef of Sofreh in Brooklyn, New York, and author of the cookbook “Sofreh.”

Herbs should be perky and vibrant, with plump, well-hydrated leaves and stems. (Avoid bunches with wilted, limp or waterlogged leaves, or discolored areas.) If possible, skip herbs in small plastic packages: Their condition can be hard to gauge.

2. Prep your herbs for storage right away.

Like flowers, herbs can’t wait to be released from their packaging. Once you’re home, spread out the loose herbs and pluck away any wilted or browned leaves that may have been hiding (the adage about rotten apples applies here, too).

“If you have one bit of cilantro leaf that’s been chewed up or damaged in some way, that’s going to be a focal point for bacteria,” said Donald W. Schaffner, a food microbiologist at Rutgers University.

Alikhani also likes to rinse her herbs before storing them, which has another advantage: You’ll be more likely to cook with herbs if you know they’re washed and ready to go. But make sure they’re well dried — Alikhani uses her salad spinner, but you can also blot them with paper towels — as “residual moisture will travel with the herbs,” contributing to bacterial growth, Schaffner said.

3. Keep soon-to-be-used herbs hydrated.

Herbs in glasses of water. Keeping herbs in a glass of water is a solid strategy if using them on the sooner side. Food styled by Yossy Arefi. (Yossy Arefi/The New York Times)

If you’re planning to use all your herbs in the next day or two (pesto, perhaps?), go for a simple approach. Alikhani just washes them without drying and adds them to a quart container of ice-cold water at the back of her fridge. To ensure the herbs absorb the water well, give the stem ends a trim before immersing them.

4. For longer storage, pack strategically.

Well-dried herbs are wrapped in paper towels before being tucked into a resealable food storage bag and placed in the fridge. Herbs can keep in the fridge for one to two weeks. Food styled by Yossy Arefi. (Yossy Arefi/The New York Times)

Herbs can keep in the fridge for one to two weeks. They’ll last longest when they have “enough moisture to keep them fresh but not so much moisture that they turn into a soupy, swampy mess,” Schaffner said.

To maintain that balance, Alikhani recommends wrapping well-dried herbs in a paper towel before tucking them into a resealable food storage bag in the fridge. But Schaffner cautions that may retain too much moisture. “My recommendation is just to make sure that everything is as dry as possible before placing into the bag,” he said. Whatever you choose, be sure to use a generously sized bag or container to ensure air circulation, and seal it well.

5. Handle living herbs with care.

FILE – Herbs are harvested in Nashville, Tenn., July 12, 2023. If you have an herb garden (or windowsill), aim to harvest them early in the day. (William DeShazer/The New York Times)

You might assume a plant will stay fresh longer than cut herbs, but without proper care, it can fade quickly. If you have herbs growing in your garden (or on your windowsill), aim to harvest them early in the day, and use sharp kitchen shears to avoid damaging them.

If bringing home a hydroponic plant, remove it from its wrapping, then trim any wilted leaves or mushy-looking roots. Place the plant in a jar with water coming up just past its roots, and set it on a windowsill that gets indirect sunlight. Change the water every day or two to keep the roots healthy.

6. Use herbs as vegetables, not just garnishes.

No matter how deftly you handle herbs, their freshness is fleeting, so use them with abandon while you have them. Persian cooks like Alikhani already tend to follow this approach: “We buy herbs by pounds in Iran,” she said. “They are not garnishes — they are our food.”

These strategies will help you use up your haul long before they wilt:

— Stir handfuls of chopped herbs through … everything. Pots of warm rice, soup, stew, pasta or risotto turn instantly vibrant when finished with herbs.

— Let them star in salads. Take a cue from Greek maroulosalata and add a generous helping of chopped dill, cilantro or parsley (including the tender stems) to your next salad. Or just make herb salad (aka tabbouleh).

— Add herbs to ground-meat recipes. Stirring plenty of finely chopped herbs into ground-meat mixtures for meatballs, burgers and meatloaf doesn’t just add flavor — it also helps keep them tender when cooked.

— Blend up an all-purpose green sauce. Creamy, silky, tangy or spicy green sauces tend to work with any combination of herbs. Use them as a marinade; a topping for grilled or roasted meat or seafood; or a dip for bread or vegetables.

— When in doubt, turn to eggs. Frittata, quiche and savory egg pie would never say no to a handful of herbs. Egg recipes can go as green as you like.

— If herbs are past their prime, cook them down. Even tired-looking herbs can still infuse longer-cooking dishes with flavor (and their texture isn’t as important, since they’ll soften up as they cook anyway). Take a cue from Andy Baraghani’s ash reshteh, a Persian greens and noodle soup, and add a pile of chopped herbs to a braise, stew or soup as it cooks.

7. When all else fails, freeze them.

Having fresh herbs is good, Alikhani said, “But is it essential? No, it is not.” When you’re caught without fresh herbs, “freezing them saves the cook’s life.”

Start by packing finely chopped herbs tightly into an ice cube tray, then fill the tray almost to the top with olive oil or water, freeze until solid, and transfer to resealable bags to keep in the freezer for up to two months. The oil-based cubes are handy for enriching soups, stews and pastas, while the water-based ones can quickly infuse a smoothie, lemonade or frozen cocktail with flavor.

If you’d rather not put anything but water in your ice cube trays, use a freezer bag instead: Mix chopped herbs with a few spoonfuls of oil and transfer to a freezer bag, pressing to flatten into a thin, even layer. The flat layer of herbs freezes especially fast, which can be an advantage. “If you’re going to freeze something, you want to try to freeze it as quickly as possible,” Schaffner said, to preserve quality. When ready to cook, simply break off a piece.

For a more straightforward option, bundle up an herb “cigar” of parsley, dill or cilantro, wrap in plastic and freeze. When you need chopped herbs for a recipe, use kitchen shears to quickly snip off what you need. It may not be the same as fresh, but the flavor still lasts.

Maroulosalata (Green Salad With Feta and Dill)

Although the iconic Greek salad, colorful with tomatoes, feta and olives, might spring to mind when contemplating Greek salads, monochromatic maroulosalata (which translates to “lettuce salad”) is arguably the more popular option in Greece. The salad is simple and effortless: Toss sliced romaine hearts, fresh dill, crumbled feta and sliced scallions with olive oil and fresh lemon juice, then season with salt and pepper, no separate dressing required. The key to this refreshing chopped salad is slicing the lettuce into delicate shreds, then soaking them in ice water to get them extra-crisp before draining, drying and tossing with the rest of the ingredients. Serve with grilled seafood, such as shrimp or fish, or as a sunny side salad with souvlaki or roast chicken. But this salad can also stand alone, as a light, summery supper on the hottest of days.

By Farideh Sadeghin

Yield: 4 to 6 servings

Total time: 35 minutes

INGREDIENTS

2 romaine hearts, trimmed and thinly sliced (about 10 cups)
Ice
1 cup crumbled feta cheese
3/4 cup lightly packed fresh dill fronds
4 scallions, trimmed and thinly sliced
1/3 cup olive oil
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Salt and pepper

DIRECTIONS

1. Place the lettuce in a large bowl and cover with ice water. Let soak for 15 to 20 minutes to get crisp, then drain. Dry the lettuce either in a salad spinner or using towels, then transfer to a large bowl.

2. Add the feta, dill and scallions, and drizzle with olive oil and lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper, toss to combine and serve.

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Today is Thursday, May 29, the 149th day of 2025. There are 216 days left in the year.

Today in history:

On May 29, 1953, Edmund Hillary of New Zealand and Tenzing Norgay of Nepal became the first climbers to reach the summit of Mount Everest.

Also on this date:

In 1790, Rhode Island became the 13th and final original colony to ratify the United States Constitution.

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In 1914, the Canadian ocean liner RMS Empress of Ireland sank in the St. Lawrence River in eastern Quebec after colliding with the Norwegian cargo ship SS Storstad; of the 1,477 people on board the Empress of Ireland, 1,012 died.

In 1977, Janet Guthrie became the first woman to race in the Indianapolis 500, finishing in 29th place (A.J. Foyt won the race for his record fourth Indy 500 victory).

In 1985, 39 people were killed at the European Cup Final in Brussels, Belgium, when rioting broke out and a wall separating British and Italian soccer fans collapsed.

In 1988, President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail S. Gorbachev began their fourth summit meeting, in Moscow.

In 2004, the World War II Memorial on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., was dedicated by President George W. Bush.

In 2009, a judge in Los Angeles sentenced music producer Phil Spector to 19 years to life in prison for the murder of actor Lana Clarkson. (Spector remained in prison until his death in January 2021.)

In 2020, fired Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin was arrested and charged with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter in the death of George Floyd. (Chauvin was convicted in April 2021 on those charges as well as unintentional second-degree murder.)

Today’s Birthdays:

Basketball Hall of Famer Richie Guerin is 93.
Actor Anthony Geary is 78.
Singer Rebbie Jackson is 75.
Musician-composer Danny Elfman is 72.
Sen. Jerry Moran, R-Kansas, is 71.
Singer La Toya Jackson is 69.
Actor Ted Levine is 68.
Actor Annette Bening is 67.
Actor Rupert Everett is 66.
Musician Melissa Etheridge is 64.
Musician Noel Gallagher is 58.
Actor Laverne Cox is 53.
Singer Melanie Brown (Spice Girls) is 50.
Basketball Hall of Famer Carmelo Anthony is 41.
Actor Riley Keough is 36.

Minnesota United goalkeeper Dayne St. Clair on Tuesday shared primary goal for this Vancouver match: Don’t loose to a team twice in a season.

Coming off a 3-1 loss to the Whitecaps on April 27, the Loons achieved the aim with a 0-0 draw with Vancouver on Wednesday at BC Place.

But MNUFC (7-3-5, 26 points) fell short of St. Clair’s next aim, moving ahead of first-place Vancouver (9-1-5, 32 points) by the end of the week. That would have taken a win over the ‘Caps and Seattle on Sunday.

Last month, Vancouver had a Concacaf semifinal against Miami three days after playing Minnesota and rotated its lineup. But as more regulars subbed into the second half, the Whitecaps rolled to a victory.

Vancouver put out less than its best lineup with the Concacaf final vs. Cruz Azul coming Sunday and were still extend its unbeaten run in MLS to 10 straight games.

Minnesota’s attack was disjointed in the first half and Eric Ramsay brought on forward Tani Oluwaseyi for midfielder Robin Lod and exchanged wingbacks Julian Gressel for Bongi Hlongwane.

MNUFC’s offense didn’t generate much more in the second half. Vancouver outshot Minnesota 21-4 overall and 3-1 on target.

Three tidbits

Owen Gene was named to the Guadeloupe preliminary roster for the Concacaf Gold Cup in June, but the 22-year-old says he wants to stay with MNUFC to help solidify a spot in the first team. … Darius Randell received his fourth loan from MNUFC2 to MNUFC for Wednesday’s match. … Joseph Rosales and Emmanuel Sabbi did not have an incident in this match. Last month, Sabbi accused Rolales of  saying a discriminatory comment toward him. It led to Rosales — who denied the allegation — being suspended three games by MLS.

OKLAHOMA CITY — ESPN NBA insider Brian Windhorst publicly stated in February what was being privately said around the league up to that point.

Teams weren’t scared of the Thunder.

Never mind Oklahoma City’s incredible record, dominant defense and MVP guard in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Other teams were confident that, when the time came, they could go toe to toe with the West’s best.

Minnesota was included in that camp.

It now knows otherwise.

If the Timberwolves weren’t scared of Oklahoma City at the outset of the Western Conference finals, they sure looked frightened Wednesday evening, falling 124-94 in Game 5 to end their season via a 4-1 series defeat.

Oklahoma City is back in the NBA Finals for the first time since 2012. The Thunder will meet the Indiana Pacers or New York Knicks in the title round starting June 5 in Oklahoma.

Minnesota was about as ill-composed as a basketball team could be en route to getting run off the floor in the fifth game of the NBA semifinals for the second consecutive season.

This was somehow more embarrassing for Minnesota than last year’s debacle against Dallas. The Mavericks put the Wolves down early in that affair thanks to some incredible shot making from Luka Doncic.

This was different. On this night, the Timberwolves were physically punked from the opening tip. Minnesota looked like a team that had forgotten how to shoot, dribble or pass.

Open shots were missed early, then they stopped being generated altogether. Timberwolves coach Chris Finch cited the importance of a strong start prior to the game. Minnesota was trailing 11-3 before you could blink.

It only got worse from there.

Minnesota’s execution fell off a cliff. The Wolves looked frazzled, unable to complete simple passes or layups. They were entirely swallowed up by the Thunder’s historically tenacious defense and Oklahoma City’s raucous home crowd.

“That obviously got the crowd into it, got them going, and then we struggled to find a rhythm,” Finch said. “We lost our connectivity.”

The moment felt too bad. It has at this facility all series. Not only did Minnesota lose thrice in Oklahoma City in this series, it was embarrassed on each occasion.

A mistake-prone team was forced into far too many of them by a harassing defense known for doing just that. Naz Reid and Julius Randle struggled to hold onto the ball for much of Wednesday’s contest.

The Wolves had nine points at the end of the opening frame. They trailed by 33 at the half. Minnesota had more turnovers (14) than made shots (12) through two quarters.

No one other than Anthony Edwards could put any real pressure on the Thunder defense. Minnesota was one of the final four teams playing for the second consecutive season, so it’s not as though it’s flush with flaws. But those that exist were all exacerbated by Oklahoma City — again, and again and again.

So yeah, Minnesota should be afraid of the Thunder. Very, very afraid. As should everyone else in the Association.

“They certainly deserved this. They played outstanding. We came up short in a lot of ways,” Finch said. “Obviously, an outstanding team, well built super deep. They’ve got an identity and a style of play that suits them. … It looks very, very promising.”

Not only is Oklahoma City wildly talented and tenacious, it’s also young. As in, younger than the Wolves and possessing the assets to continue to replenish its talent pool.

It has the MVP in Gilgeous-Alexander, who lit Minnesota up all series, rendering the Wolves’ trough of perimeter defenders obsolete. A year ago, the Wolves possessed the best defense in the NBA that struck fear and frustration into the hearts and minds of opponents.

It didn’t look as enjoyable being on the other side of the coin.

No longer is Minnesota the big, bad wolves. That title belongs to the Thunder. It looks as though it will for years to come.

The Timberwolves, who’ve fancied themselves a title contender for two years now, have an offseason to determine what it is they plan to do about it.