A very underappreciated herb
Parsley (Petroselinum crispum) is the herb we think of as the leafy piece of green garnish on the side of the plate in a fancy restaurant. Usually it gets left on the plate, scraped into the trash (hopefully the compost!) an unsung herbal hero. There was a reason for its appearance on the plate – to refresh a customer’s breath and help digest that tasty meal that had just been consumed. That little bit of garnish has all but disappeared, gone by the wayside mostly due to costs. It was so unappreciated. Why would restaurants continue to spend money on something that was just going in the trash?!
Perk up Parsley, the National Herb Society has chosen you as the Herb of the Year for 2021! There is so much more to parsley, a mild flavored herb full of vitamins and minerals. Parsley is a rich source of vitamin K, which helps blood to clot, and a good source of vitamins C, A, and folate. Parsley contains many antibiotic, antioxidant, and other health-promoting compounds. So there are several good reasons to include it in your cooking. It is an all-around kitchen herb that goes well with just about any dish from soups and stews to fish and poultry and vegetables of all varieties.
There are two types of parsley and they are recognized by the shape of their leaves. Curly parsley has tightly curled moss like leaves. Italian parsley has flat scalloped edge leaves that grow in bunches of three. Both varieties are considered biennial which means it produces a crop for two years and the second year it produces a flower head and seeds, then it dies. Many people grow parsley as an annual, planting seeds every year.
It is best planted 3-4 weeks before the first frost. We often let our patch go to seed where it hopefully re-seeds and returns yearly. In either case parsley cannot be hurried since it is slow to germinate. We’ve re-planted parsley several times, forgetting it takes sometimes as much as 3 -4 weeks to get growing. The seeds may be soaked in warm water for a couple of hours before planting and watered thoroughly to help start the germination. Parsley will grow in full sun to partial shade. Parsley makes a good container herb or in a cold frame for winter. In milder climates it grows nearly year round, so is available for harvest and fresh use for many months.
It is best planted 3-4 weeks before the first frost. We often let our patch go to seed where it hopefully re-seeds and returns yearly. In either case parsley cannot be hurried since it is slow to germinate. We’ve re-planted parsley several times, forgetting it takes sometimes as much as 3 -4 weeks to get growing. The seeds may be soaked in warm water for a couple of hours before planting and watered thoroughly to help start the germination. Parsley will grow in full sun to partial shade. Parsley makes a good container herb or in a cold frame for winter. In milder climates it grows nearly year round, so is available for harvest and fresh use for many months.
Parsley preserves well. It can be dried in a microwave maintaining taste and color and this is the typical drying method we use. It loses color and some flavor in a dehydrator or air dried in a paper bag. It freezes well though when diced, put into an ice cube tray and frozen. It may seem a little limp when using later, but it has the same taste as fresh. You can also chop it up in a food processor with a bit of oil - even combining with other summer herbs such as basil, oregano, and thyme - to make an herb paste that freezes well.
In some countries parsley is made into a jelly to use with roast meat and chicken. It also makes a nice butter for spread or cooking.
With all that going for it, parsley deserves a prime spot in the garden and the kitchen.
In some countries parsley is made into a jelly to use with roast meat and chicken. It also makes a nice butter for spread or cooking.
With all that going for it, parsley deserves a prime spot in the garden and the kitchen.