Parsley: A Cooks Best Friend

A cook's best friend, Petroselinum crispum, commonly known as curly parsley, is used in myriad ways in the kitchen. Often discarded by diners as 'just a garnish,' parsley has many valuable nutrients including bet-carotene, calcium, iron, and Vitamins A and C in easily assimilated form. Parsley has a pleasant flavour and is often used as a breath freshener particularly after eating raw garlic and onions.

Parsley is a hardy biennial or short-lived perennial and grows 10 ?12 inches (24 ? 30 cm) tall. Cultivation requirements: fairly rich, moist soil, full sun or partial shade, water well during dry periods. In the second year, yellowish-white flowers are produced. Parsley can be treated as an annual for cooking purposes, as the first year's leaves are superior to the later crops. Parsley will self-sow so you can leave it where it is. Curly parsley makes a gorgeous edging along garden beds and is attractive planted with flowers and in container gardens. You can start the plants in the house prior to planting in the garden or you can seed it straight into the location where you want it to grow.

Parsley can be grown indoors or out. Grow parsley from seed or you can purchase started plants at the garden centres. I have read numerous times that it is hard to germinate parsley from seed but I have not had any problems. If growing parsley in pots, plant in a deep pot to accommodate the long taproot. Parsley can be brought indoors at the end of the growing season the same as other herbs. When bringing indoors, pot up in fresh potting soil, and check for critters. If there is an infestation, spray with a soap and water spray.

Parsley requires at least 5 hours of sunlight if grown indoors. If you are growing it on a windowsill, parsley should be turned regularly to ensure that all sides receive sunlight. Parsley grows well under fluorescents lights during the winter. Hang lights 6 inches (15 cm) from the plants and leave on for 14 hours a day.

In the garden, parsley can be planted near asparagus, corn, and tomatoes. In the kitchen, parsley can be used fresh in salads, sauces, and soups. Add to stews, stuffing, vegetable dishes, eggs, tabbouleh, dips, biscuits, omelets, rice and pasta dishes, meat, fish, shellfish, poultry ? the list is endless. Parsley can be mixed with soft cheeses such as ricotta or cottage cheese. Chop it finely, mash into butter and serve with bread, or melt it into casseroles, scrambled eggs, or pasta. Tie 3 sprigs of parsley, 1 sprig of thyme, and 1 bay leaf together with string to make a bouquet garni. Add the herbs to a soup pot and pull out just before serving.

Parsley can be dried or frozen. To store fresh parsley in the fridge, place the stems in a glass jar of cold water. It will stay fresh for several days.

Gwen Nyhus Stewart, B.S.W., M.G., H.T., is an educator, freelance writer, garden consultant, and author of the book The Healing Garden: A Place Of Peace ? Gardening For The Soil, Gardening For The Soul and the booklet Non-toxic Alternatives For Everyday Cleaning And Gardening Products. She owns the website Gwen's Healing Garden where you will find lots of free information about gardening for the soil and gardening for the soul. To find out more about the books and subscribe to her free Newsletter visit http://www.gwenshealinggarden.ca

Gwen Nyhus Stewart © 2004 ? 2005. All rights reserved.

---

Create and Furnish Your Outdoor Room

More and more people are enjoying their time spent outdoors... Read More

Toxic Pollutants & Their Effect on Fish Health

Once water temperatures increase in the summer months, fish become... Read More

Preparing Successful Seedlings

Growing your own seedlings is very gratifying and far more... Read More

Solar Garden Lights

Solar lights are very popular for lighting yards and gardens.... Read More

With Outdoor Lighting You Can Enjoy Your Garden Into The Evening Hours

It is a beautiful evening and you are relaxing on... Read More

Gardening--Fun and Frugal!

Whether you are an avid vegetable gardener, a beginning herb... Read More

Lazy Fish Worries

If your fish hang out at the bottom of the... Read More

7 Factors Needed for a Compost Pile

Compost, made from decomposed grass clippings, leaves, twigs, and branches,... Read More

Orchid Myths -The Truth

Here are some of the popular orchid myths#1 Orchids are... Read More

How To Mow A Lawn

Although push lawn mowers are wonderful machines that do a... Read More

Adirondack Chairs - The Proper Way to Care for Them

The Adirondack chair is unlike any other chair every made.... Read More

How to Grow Apples

The first thing you need to grow apples is a... Read More

Xeriscaping is Waterwise Gardening

What is xeriscaping? You may have heard of xeriscaping as... Read More

Gallica Roses

Very soon stocks of new season's roses will... Read More

How to Plant Tulips

Quality Dutch tulip bulbs are easy to come by and... Read More

You Say Tomato I Say Mosquito

Gathering tomatoes or other fruits of the garden might not... Read More

Durable Wooden Swing - Decorate Your Outdoors with One

There is nothing better to do on a hot, lazy... Read More

Mole Traps: Can You Use Them?

Mole control is one of the most complicated problems that... Read More

The Indoor Garden: Plants that Clean the Air

There are many reasons for creating an indoor garden ?... Read More

A Little Known Secret to Successful Outdoor Gardening

Pruning...Outdoor gardening is so much easier when you know how.... Read More

Garden Hot Tubs

Imagine starting your morning with a saunter out the back... Read More

The Truth About Tulips

Roses may be beautiful but Tulips are magnificent. The huge... Read More

The Garden As Healer

The word for 'paradise' comes from the Persian word for... Read More

10 Tips for Successful Rose Planting

Planting roses isn't actually complicated, as long as you have... Read More

Secrets of Growing Killer Tomatoes

Tomatoes have always been my favorite garden vegetable to grow... Read More