Even though parsley is a biennial (lasts two growing seasons) I have never had to replant. In our climate it seems to thrive year round and at this time of year it provides a fresh green garnish for dinner plates and a lacy green to winter bouquets.
As a garnish it is more than decorative. Parsley (Petroselinm crispum) contains more vitamin C than oranges and contains iron, calcium and several of the B vitamins. It is also, with its high chlorophyll count, one of the best breath fresheners you’ll find.
Many people pull it up at the end of the season. I let mine flower. The flowers look like greenish yellow Queen Anne’s lace (they are “cousins”) and they provide winter shelters for many beneficial insects. Italian flat-leaved parsley is supposed to have the best flavor, but I like the curly leaf just as much.
Parsley is used in cooking worldwide. The Japanese deep fry it in tempura batter, Spaniards use it to make salsa verde, English make parsley jelly. Legend has it parsley sprang up from the blood of Archemorus (ancient Greek hero) when serpents ate him. The ancient Greeks also believed the decorative greenery was favored by Hercules. Ironically, these two beliefs led to Greek parsley being used to make both funeral wreaths and the wreaths of athletes.
In ancient Rome parsley was sprinkled over corpses to deodorize them. Many of these same corpses had probably eaten volumes of the herb in their lifetime, as it was commonly chewed after drinking bouts and orgies to take away the smell of alcohol on the breath. It was through this practice the Romans learned to use parsley as a digestive aid.
This member of the carrot family takes about 60 days to mature. Sow seeds up to a finger width deep, leaving a distance between plants the same length as your hand is from your elbow. Parsley is one herb that prefers a moderately rich soil, though it will survive in poorer soil as long as it gets proper drainage. Remember, like the carrot family it is a member of, the soil has to be loose enough to accommodate the taproot. Water often until the plants are established, then mulch and water weekly. Harvest when it produces leaf stems with three segments, picking the larger outside leaves first. Pick only the middle leaf segment of the main stem to make plants bush out. You can store freshly picked sprigs in a plastic bag in the refrigerator for at least two weeks. Dried parsley will last as long as a year if stored in an airtight container, as will chopped and frozen. Young plants also do well transplanted into pots (12 inches deep is best) and set on indoor windowsills for the winter.
One last thing: if you see a green parsley worm (two inches long with yellow-dotted black bands across each segment), think about segregating the plants rather than killing the caterpillars, or transplant the squigglers from your parsley onto some Queen Anne’s lace. These voracious little creatures are the larvae of the black swallowtail butterfly.
Tip: Handy to know that parsley repels head lice. Periodically rub the fresh greenery over your head or rinse your hair with parsley tea and you’ll never have a problem.
Superstition: Wearing a sprig of parsley will protect you; the Romans used to tuck a fresh sprig into their togas every morning.
Questions or comments? Contact me at whalebonestudio@embarqmail.com.
