Freezing Herbs: Parsley and Chives

Previously, I wrote about how easy it is to freeze basil and my love of all things easy. And freezing basil is pretty easy but not quite as easy as freezing parsley and chives. 

In the past, I have treated my parsley the same as my basil by giving it a rough chop in the food processor and freezing it with water in ice cube trays. I was pleased with the results and had lots of parsley all winter long for the many soups I made (I have a soup obsession). And, I did do a small batch of parsley cubes earlier this summer.

However, I also bought some parsley on sale at the grocery store in May. A lot of parsley actually. The store got me on a 2 for 1 deal. I thought, why not? I need it for this recipe and I love parsley (the flat-leaf Italian parsley, much better than the curly stuff you find sometimes on your plate at restaurants). It'll get used up. Except that it didn't. I am ashamed to say that I told my daughter to feed it to the worms (I have a worm composter in the pantry, they are adorable!). She looked at it and said, "Really? It seems fine." And it did seem fine, but I didn't have any time to deal with it. I told her to put it a freezer bag and toss it in the freezer. 

Just harvested parsley on the left, parlsey frozen in May on the right.

I pulled it out a couple of weeks ago and it still seemed just fine. Perhaps a darker shade of green but certainly acceptable for soup, pasta or sauces. So when I had all the herbs in the house, pre-frost, I thought, why can't I do all my parsley like that? Certainly easier and besides, all my ice cube trays are tied up with the basil. So I did. Along with my chives, which my kids, strangely, adore. You haven't lived until you've snuggled on the couch with a 9 year old who's been chomping on chives outside all day. Seriously. He thinks this is a great snack. Pungent!

You will need:

• fresh parsley
• fresh chives
• salad spinner (or colander and paper towels)
• freezer bags or containers

Because the stems are as flavorful as the leaves and not a problem in soups which will likely be the bulk of my use, I didn't bother to remove the parsley leaves from the stems. If need be, it will be just as easy to cut the leaves from the stems as I use them. So into the salad spinner they went and under a cold water rinse. I advise shaking the colander around quite a bit to completely rinse the parsley and also to find any hidden surprises like this little lovely gem I found. Since parsley is a fairly low growing herbs the chances are greater that you may find a weed or two hiding in your edibles. 

You will follow the same process for the chives. Throw out any yellow or dry stems and check for weeds. Those things are sneaky, I tell you. 

Once rinsed, give those herbs a good spin in the salad spinner. Since they won't be preserved in water, get them nice and dry. If you are using a colander and paper towels, letting the herbs sit for while before putting them in bags will accomplish the same thing. I did love how the spinner clumped the chives together, though. Talk about making my life easy!

Next step, stick those herbs in a freezer bad or container. I personally prefer to use freezer bags because I can get them really air-tight. You could also use vacuum-sealed bags for this as well. Then when you need either parsley or chives, pull out those bags and simply cut off the herbs that you need with a kitchen scissors or knife and put the rest back in the freezer.

Recap:

You will need:

• Fresh parsley
• Fresh chives
• Salad spinner (or colander and paper towels)
• freezer bags or container

1.  Rinse herbs under cold water, remove any yellow, dry leaves and weeds.
2. Spin dry or leave to drain colander for 1/2 hour or more.
3. Put in freezer bags or containers and put in the freezer.

That's it! It really couldn't be any easier and you have close to fresh-tasting herbs all winter. Just remember that using these herbs frozen will be like using fresh rather than dry so adjust your recipes accordingly if need be. 

Next: What to do with all that zucchini!

 

Growing Herbs: Parsley

Image: FreeDigitalPhotos.net

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!