Q: I always have to buy more parsley than I need at a time, so most of it often goes bad. How can I save my fresh herbs for longer than a couple of days?

A: To understand how best to store parsley, or any leafy plant, it helps to understand what's going on with the plant after it is harvested. Before the plant is picked, the plant breathes in carbon dioxide, which the plant's chlorophyll uses to make sugar. The process is called photosynthesis. But after the plant is picked, it begins to breathe in a different way. It takes in oxygen, which it uses to break down, or metabolize, starches, sugars, and acids into water and carbon dioxide that the plant then gives off. The key to preserving the plant is to slow down this metabolic process. If you don't slow it down, the process will accelerate and your food will go bad quite quickly.

So what's is the best way to slow this deterioration of quality? Keep it cold and starve it of oxygen.

Here's how: When you get your parsley home, remove any bruised or yellow leaves and make sure the leaves and stems are totally dry. Wrap the parsley in one or two sheets of paper towels to absorb any excess moisture, put it in a sealable plastic bag, squeeze out all of the air, seal the bag, and put it in the refrigerator. If the parsley is fresh, it will last up to two weeks.

–Food Network Kitchens