Dear Heloise: Yesterday I purchased a bundle of fresh basil from our vegetable stand in town. It had just come from the garden and had a lovely strong odor to it. It was used as a topping for a grape-tomato, cheese and asparagus salad. How can I keep the remaining basil fresh? — Mary Ellen C., Southbury, Connecticut

Mary Ellen, cut the basil stems at the bottom and place them in a glass of water, as you would a bouquet of flowers. Change the water every few days. Do not refrigerate them. Similar to most herbs, they will need to be used as soon as possible to get the full freshness. — Heloise

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Heloise@Heloise.com

FRESH CELERY

Dear Heloise: So far, the ideas for keeping a bunch of celery fresh for weeks are good. But I do it in a cheaper way:

Instead of foil, I use two plastic grocery bags, one from the top down, then one from the root up. Wrap the bags sort of tightly, and the celery will stay fresh for weeks. And you’ll save foil! — Pat B., via email

DONATING CLOTHING

Dear Heloise: I recently retired from my job as the vice president at a large bank. Since I had many suits and dresses designed for business professionals, I thought it might be good to donate them to the battered women’s shelter in town. I called and told them that I had clothing women could wear for job interviews, along with several purses and scarves.

When I asked if someone could pick them up, they said that they didn’t have anyone who could pick up items for them. And they couldn’t tell me their location due to privacy issues that they’d had in the past. Long story short, my suits went to Goodwill.

This was a no-win situation, and the ones who lost out are the women who need professional clothing to look nice for a job interview. — Roberta H., in Georgia

Roberta, sadly, I’ve received similar letters from people who wished to help an organization but were held back by a lack of transpiration. Perhaps it might be nice if someone could donate a van or truck to these organizations.

Next time, you might want to call a few delivery companies to see if they can donate the time, a driver and gas to help out a service or charity. — Heloise

SWEET TREATS

Dear Readers: Can you name America’s favorite dessert? Is it:

A) Chocolate cake

B) Key lime pie

C) Flan

D) Ice cream

E) Cheesecake

F) Brownies

According to the National Frozen & Refrigerated Foods Association, the answer is ice cream. As a lifelong ice-cream fiend, I’m not surprised. My all-time favorite is coffee ice cream. But what is your favorite flavor? Do you prefer something else? Email Heloise@Heloise.com and let us know here at Heloise Central. — Heloise

GARDENING REMINDER

Dear Readers: Cooler temperatures will be here soon. Don’t forget to stock up on mulch for your garden or dig up those lovely flower bulbs and store them inside for the winter. — Heloise