How Can You Tell When Fresh Herbs and Greens Have Gone Bad?

Spoilage in fresh herbs and greens appears as yellowing, wateriness and wilting that moves much faster than in other vegetables. Because they're so delicate, herbs like parsley, dill or mint can change noticeably within just a few days. The clearest sign is leaves turning nearly black and going limp enough to crush by hand. The second is liquid pooling at the base of the bunch or inside the bag, along with a moldy smell; either of these two signs means the bunch is no longer fresh. Is yellowing and blackening normal? A slight yellow fading at the leaf edges, especially on the outer leaves of a bunch, is mostly just natural aging and doesn't mean the whole bunch is bad. Picking out those leaves is usually enough. But if the darkening turns into near-black, wet-looking patches spreading across the leaf, that's advanced spoilage. Even if the stems are still firm, a bunch with mostly darkened leaves is no longer usable. What does wateriness and wilting show? A fresh bunch stands upright when held, with leaves separate from each other and taut. A bunch starting to spoil turns limp, stuck together and waterlogged-looking. Droplets collecting inside the bag, or water pooling at the base of the bunch, are proof that the leaf cells have broken down and released liquid. A bunch at this stage will progress quickly within hours, even if blackening hasn't started yet. When are mold and sliminess dangerous? A white or gray fuzzy layer on the leaves is mold, and the whole bunch should be discarded, including leaves that still look clean, since mold spores may have spread through the whole bunch. Sliminess on the stems is a similar warning sign. A wet, slippery texture shows bacterial growth is advancing; a bunch at that stage isn't safe to eat even after rinsing, because the sliminess is in the tissue itself, not just on the surface. Mold starting on just a few leaves inside a bag can spread to the ones touching it within hours, so even a single early spot is a reason to check the whole bunch. Can a partly spoiled bunch be trimmed and used? If only the outer leaves of a bunch show slight yellowing, those can be picked off and the still-firm inner part used soon after. As long as what's left is still firm and smells normal, it's fine to use quality-wise; still, look and smell can't reveal illness-causing bacteria, so rinse the greens well under running water before using them. But once blackening, wateriness or mold has spread across a good part of the bunch, trimming isn't enough; spoilage moves so fast in these greens that removing a few leaves doesn't solve the problem. How can you make herbs and greens stay fresh longer? Wrapping the roots in a slightly damp paper towel and keeping the bunch in a loose bag in the fridge, without washing it first, can add a few extra days of freshness. A bunch that's washed and left wet spoils much faster than one kept dry. Some herbs stay fresh longer when stood upright by the stems in a glass of water, like cut flowers, with a loose bag draped over the top in the fridge; this works especially well for parsley and dill. For leafy greens like lettuce, tearing off only the leaves you need and leaving the rest attached to the root keeps what remains firm for much longer.