Hello my dear readers,
How are you today? September already! Kids start school, parents start work and everybody’s back to the normal daily routine 🙂
I hope you enjoyed your holiday and you’ve recharged your batteries, until Christmas is a long way to go 🙂
Today, let’s discover parsley, one of the most used aromatic herbs in the kitchen, that goes well with meat, fish and pasta dishes. It can be found in the market very easily, but it is equally easy to cultivate it in our garden or in a pot in our balcony.
Amid the most used aromatic herbs in the kitchen, the parsley belongs to the Apiaceae family, which grows throughout the Mediterranean area, and is a plant cultivated in almost all the gardens, since ancient times. The ancient Greeks, for example, used it for medicinal and decorative purposes: the crowns for the winners of the Isthmian and Nemean games were made with braided parsley. They also adorned their heads when they attended banquets, because they believed that its scent gave a note of joy and stimulate the appetite. The Romans were instead the first to use it in the kitchen, but only to remove bad odors or as a medicine for intoxication.
Parsley, to grow well, needs a temperate climate, which does not have too many changes in temperature. It is advisable to choose an area where the plants will not be exposed to sunlight throughout the day: parsley does not tolerate too hot temperatures. The soil should be mixed with peat moss, in order to facilitate the flow of water without stagnation. Is always better if you can use an organic soil.
Parsley is a plant that you can very well grow it in pots. This will save space for those who do not have a garden available or to those who want to try their hand at creating a vegetable garden on their balcony like me.
It is better to choose a terracotta pot, which allows the oxygenation of the soil, but remember, however, that its roots go deep so it is good to buy a large and deep pot. It is advisable to place gravel or expanded clay pellets on the bottom of the vase, which will guarantee the flow of water, avoiding stagnation. The pot should be placed in a preferably sunny area (but in the shade when it is full summer) to favor and speed up the growth process. Spread the parsley seeds evenly in the pot, they germinate slowly and take about a month. To obtain a faster germination, dip them for one night in water before planting them and then place them at a depth of 1 cm. After 4/5 weeks the first leaves will start to appear. It is also very important to have good seeds. I have tried several times to grow it here but I guess the seeds were not very good and even after several weeks nothing came out 🤪 If first time is not a success, don’t worry, keep trying until you’ll find the perfect seeds 😉 Is well worth it 😉
Water the plants frequently, every day, in small doses: the soil should always be moist.
The plants, once cut, grow back and makes new fresh leaves ready for your dishes.
If you want to store it, you need to keep it in airtight containers, after having dried the leaves. Alternatively, you can freeze it after having washed and dried it thoroughly.
There are two types of parsley: the one with smooth leaves, which has the characteristic of being particularly aromatic, and the one with curly leaves.
Parsley is especially known for its use in the kitchen both to flavor foods and for decorations. In fact, it is used in such a large number of recipes that the term “you are like parsley” is used, to tell someone who is everywhere.
Parsley is widely used for seasoning vegetables, meat and fish after cooking, or for cold dishes, pasta and soups. It is also an excellent ingredient for sauces and pestos, but used in moderate quantities. Parsley also has the ability to revive the aroma of other herbs and spices. The only warning is that it should be consumed and used raw to keep its flavor, in fact in hot dishes it should always be added at the end of cooking.
The fresh parsley leaves contain iron, calcium, phosphorus, vitamin K and vitamins A and C in quantities higher than those contained in oranges. Stimulates digestion, eliminates small kidney stones and is anti-anemic, thanks to the presence of iron. It can also be used in addition to detox centrifuged or to prepare a decoction with diuretic and purifying properties.
The chlorophyll contained in it makes it an excellent antibacterial.
Parsley essential oil contains a lot of eugenol, a substance with anesthetic properties that has been used to treat toothache since ancient times.
Since contains a lot of vitamin K, plays a fundamental role in bone health.
It is also rich in beta-carotene, an antioxidant substance that is particularly beneficial to the health of the skin and eyes. The high content of vitamin C plays a protective and antioxidant action counteracting the action of free radicals. With a daily but moderate use of parsley the immune system is strengthened.
So don’t forget to eat your parsley 😉
Thank you all for reading.
Join me next time and let’s discover Venice, Italy, a romantic seaside city where traditional dishes are mainly based on fish and parsley goes pretty well with it 😉
And last but not least, always remember that life is too short so let go of your worries, what will be will be, just enjoy the moment!
Have a wonderful week! See you next time!
Great info.Thanks for sharing.
Thank you for reading! I’m glad you like it!
Hey Ribanna! That’s a new herb. I’ve seen it often in the market never knew it has some beautiful benefits. I always buy amd use it only on one dish we call it Rasam 😄 Would love to start using more often in our cooking. Keep up another great information. Thanks for making beautiful interesting food posts. 😄 You know? you are making foodies here 😀😋. Have a great day 🤗
Hi Simon, I’m glad you like it….here in Asia I think cilantro is more common than parsley…looks similar but the taste is so different 🙂 Thank you for your kind words, I do feel that we have so many things to discover about our food 🙂 If I can turn some of you in foodies that likes to enjoy good food in good company, then I’ll be pleased 🙂 😄 Have a wonderful day too :)🤗
Isn’t cilantro and parsley both are different 🙄 oh.. i was mentioning about Cilantro 😁. You wrotw about parsley ha ha ha.. ok anyway both are actually same kind a different breed. Good to know things that i dont know 😉.
Yes, are very very similar but the taste is different 😉 Honestly, I did not know about cilantro until I moved to Singapore 🤪🤪 Back home, we only use parsley 😉 Is always nice learning new things 😉 Thank you Simon 😊🤩
One of my favorites.
Thank you Betul for stopping by! I’m glad you like it 🙂
Love it. I put it practically everywhere. I esp.love it in my soup.
Oh yes, it gives such a great flavor to the soup 🙂 And when I think that when I was little, I hated it 🙂
Right?
🤪🤪🤪😉😉
Excellent information and the food 😍😍 Love the images 👍😊
Thank you very much 🙂 I’m glad you like it 🙂
Hi Ribana, you described elaborately about parsley leaves and the planting! 😊Yes it has a good smell and when adding this in fried rice we can get a good flavour! Have a great monday! 💙🌹
Hi Suni, I’m glad you like it 😉 In fried rice? Good to know, I’ve never tried it but I guess it gives a nice flavour and smell 😉
Thank you very much for stopping by 🤗 Wish you a wonderful week 🌸🤗💕
Yes Ribana, parsley leaves add flavour fried rice! We can get good flavour! 😊
Enjoy your evening! 😊💐💙
Great info on Parsley. I grow it in my garden..didn’t realize it had beta carotene.
Thank you 😊 I’m glad you like it 😉 That’s awesome, having the possibility to grow it in the garden 😉 Yes, I guess there are so many things we don’t know about our food 😉 Thank you for stopping by 🌸🌸
I love parsley and often feel a little sad for it since so many people think of it just as a garnish to add color. It is so delightful used in abundance in salads, or on its own as a pesto. Thanks for the article, especially pointing out the nutritional benefits.
Yes, I guess most of the time is used for garnishing but added fresh can really change the taste of a dish 🙂 I’m using it a lot too 🙂
Thank you for stopping by! I’m glad you like it!
Great post with useful info & beautiful gifs. 🙂
Thank you Megala! I’m glad you like it! 🙂 I’m trying to make them funny 🙂
Excellent job!
Thank you 🙂
Alright! I am going to eat more parsley. What an amazing herb!
Thank you Anne! Oh yes, has so many benefits and is so versatile 🙂
Thank you for sharing! 😊👍🏼 I have not had success in germinating the seeds. I’ll try again.
Thank you for reading Winnie! 🙂 Oh, I have tried several times before being able to see something growing too 🙂 I guess depends a lot of the seeds 🙂 Try to put them in water for a few days first…maybe will work 🙂
You’re welcome and thank you for the advice. I’ll tag you when I successfully grow one. 😉
😉😉
Such an enjoyable presentation of parsley. Love all the visuals. Beautiful post, Ribanna. <3
Thank you very much Olga! I’m glad you like it 🙂
Very nice article! In India we use green coriander leaves. They are easily available and easy to grow in pots also, as almost each household has its seeds.
Love your gifs in between, they are so apt!
Thank you very much for your kind words! I’m glad you like it! Yes, I see also in Singapore, coriander/cilantro are very common….instead back home, we use more parsley 🙂
Wish you a wonderful day!
Very nourishing!
Thank you 🙂