Might I suggest changing the water every couple of days? Once a week or so,
I trim the stems. Also, keeping it in the fridge will retard decomposition,
so I'd stick it in there when it starts to get 'ugly'.

I wish basil plants liked me . . .

Joy

--

"Dan Musicant" wrote in message
...
June to December I have all the basil I could want, planted in pots in
the back yard. When that dies from the cold, I buy bunches for a buck or
$1.20 for organic and wash and trim the stems a 1/2 inch and put in a
glass with water. If reasonably fresh when bought the basil keeps in the
kitchen for weeks, maybe over a month if I don't use a whole lot of it.
However, the basil starts to look not so hardy after a couple of weeks.
The leaves shrink. Is there something I can do to keep it happier? Maybe
add something to the water? Obviously, I don't want anything drawn up
into the leaves that I don't want to ingest.

Dan

PS When it's warm enough in the kitchen, the store bought basil sends
out roots and I have more than once successfully planted these in my
backyard pots. More often, I start the outside plants from seeds.