Growing Herbs: Parsley

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Most people are familiar with the curly parsley many restaurants use as decorative garnish on dishes. Perhaps for this reason, it has become one of the most under-appreciated herbs. I know for myself, until I started actually cooking with fresh parsley, I didn't really see the value of it. While the curly variety is pretty and has a fresh, crisp flavor that complements many salads and sauces, Italian flat leaf parsley is more fragrant and less bitter. It also holds up to cooking better and is therefore well-suited to hot dishes. 

Parsley is the perfect complement to many dishes. It's mild flavor also blends well with other herbs such as chives, tarragon, rosemary, thyme and coriander. In addition, parsley is rich in vitamins A and C and is known to reduce inflammation, inhibit histamines and lower blood pressure among other nutritional and health benefits. 

Growing and Harvesting Parsley

Parsley can be grown in either full sun or partial shade. Soil should be well drained and have average to rich fertility. Parsley grows readily from seed yet prefers not to be transplanted. Plant seeds where you intend to grow them or if you plan to plant seeds earlier indoors, use peat pots that can be planted directly into soil to prevent transplant shock. 

As with most herbs, parsley grows well in containers and can be kept handy by the kitchen for easy use throughout the summer season. In the fall, the container can be brought in (parsley, while a biennial, is better treated as an annual due to bolting the second year. Also, it's not wholly hardy in our zone) for use through the winter months. With its compact foliage, parsley is an attractive addition to container combos and mixes easily and beautifully with flowering plants. Parsley is a good companion plant to many plants including tomatoes and roses.
 
Parsley is most flavorful when used fresh. Cut stems as needed throughout the growing season. Most often the leaves of the plant are used but the stems can be used as well in the same way. Stems are most useful in soups and sauces. 

Parsley can dried although it does not have nearly the flavor of fresh. Dried parsley should be used within a few months of drying while the leaves are still green. It can also be finely chopped, mixed with water and frozen in ice cube trays for use in cooking throughout the winter. Parsley can be frozen simply by storing clean, chopped parsley in zip top freezer bags. 

Uses for Parsley

Parsley is the perfect herb for egg dishes and also complements potatoes, salads, soups, vegetables, pasta, chicken and fish. Pesto is easy to make by blending 2 cups of Italian flat leaf parsley, 2/3 cup of olive oil, 1/4 cup of pine nuts, 1/2 cup of parmesan cheese and 2 cloves of garlic in a blender. Pesto can be frozen and is delicious on pasta and breads. 

One of my favorite parsley recipes is asparagus gremolata. This simple dish bursts with flavor without over powering the asparagus. It's quickly become very popular in my family. See allrecipes.com for the their collection of parsley recipes for more ideas. 


Next week: Sage, beautiful, fragrant and delicious!