Everything You Wanted to Know About Parsley | Planting Parsley | Harvesting Parsley | Drying Parsley

Parsley is a great herb to try if you're just starting out as it can grow nearly everywhere, though it prefers sun and it is easy to harvest. It is somewhat frost resistant and can be used in a wide variety of recipes, from pesto to tzatziki sauce to teas.

Parsley is a great source of vitamins A, C, and K, as well as being high in antioxidants. It can be used to freshen breath, reduce inflammation, and may help with kidney issues. It is often used in pesto recipes or as a garnish, but pairs well with fish and chicken as well as many other dishes.

Growing parsley is very easy. You can plant either in the ground or in a container. We have both a container and a small patch of parsley growing at our house. The main difference is that the plants tend to get bigger if planted in the ground vs in a container. A few benefits of container growing are that you can move your planter to prime sun spots throughout the year, contain the growth, and even continue growing parsley throughout the winter months. Parsley is a biennial plant, meaning it will grow for 2 years. The first year it will only produce leaves. It will regrow the following year, but will flower and produce seeds. If you do not harvest the seed, it will likely spread and regrow in the same area. Harvest seeds to ensure planting capabilities next spring. Parsley is best paired next to asparagus, tomatoes, carrots, chives, onions, corn, peas, and peppers. It does not pair well with mint or lettuce.

Parsley is a full sun plant. This means 8-10 hours of sunlight a day. It will still grow with much less sun, and even mostly shade, however, your plant growth will be stunted and you may need to wait quite a bit longer to harvest. Indoors, place your planter near a sunny window or use T5 fluorescent plant lights to achieve a full sun effect. Knowing the full sun requirement, choose between ground or container planting. You will want to plant seeds ~6-8 inches apart after the last frost of the year or in the fall to allow the plant to germinate at a time of it's choosing. Water regularly, but ensure well drained soils and allow soil to completely dry between waterings.

Parsley will bolt in the second year in the heat of summer or with lack of harvesting, but by harvesting the seeds you can plant a second crop for the fall. For a nearly continuous harvest, sow new plants every year. To slow bolting, harvest once 4-5 leaves are on each plant.

You can pick off the individual leaves or cut the entire stalk. There tends to be one main stalk with smaller ones splitting off. Cut off  the smaller stalks at their bases with a sharp scissors. When trimming, be sure to leave ~1/3 plant to promote future growth. If flower buds appear, trim immediately to prevent seed production.

Once you've picked your parsley, either use immediately, refrigerate for up to 3 days or dry. A few methods of drying parsley can be used. Keep in mind that drying will reduce flavor, but will be much more flavorful than store bought herbs.

• Dehydrator - follow manufacturer instructions (likely 7 hours at 100 degrees)

• Baking at 350 until crisp
• Hang Dry - Hang parsley stalks upside down until dry

   

• Lay flat on cookie cooling rack, turning periodically until crisp.

 

Store in airtight container.

To harvest parsley seeds there are a few options:

• Pull or cut the entire plant. Hang dry upside down in brown paper bag. Seeds should drop on their own.
• Hand pick the seeds. Lay out to dry.
• Trim pods of seeds off the plant.

Drying seeds is critical for storage. Air dry for future planting use. Air drying, a dehydrator, or oven can be used to dry seeds that will be used for cooking. Seeds will develop mold if not allowed to dry properly.

For great recipe ideas view Thrifty Cooking posts.

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