The Wonders of Parsley
If you are looking for a great herb to plant in your garden that will double duty both as a seasoning and as a garden helper, look no further than the leafy biennial parsley. Parsley is an vegetable that has a long history as a decorative herb in the West, but you’ll find that in Middle Eastern cuisine and Asian cuisine. You’ll find that with a little bit of work in garden can bring this versatile and festively tasty herb into your home and into your meals.
Parsley has something of a difficult history, with a longer germination period, and some strong variety in terms of how long it takes to sprout. One of the keys to making sure that this herb-like vegetable gets a good start is to start its sprouting process indoors. You can nurse the plants along for a few weeks and ensure that you have healthy sprouts before you transplant them outside. They are excellent candidates for transplanting and you’ll find that they are quite easy to nourish after this.
When you get them started, strew the seeds around thinly. Because the seeds are so fine, you can easily spread them on top of the soil and water them in. You’ll find that germination is usually advised to take two weeks, but in the cases of some varieties can take as long as four to six. Take a look to see what variety you have and make sure that you know when to expect your new sprouts. Parsley tends to like shady areas that still has rich soil.
Pick your parsley when the leaves begin to curl under, and for the best results, pick them when the smell is the strongest. You’ll find that parsley when used as a seasoning in various dishes, has a high degree of utility when it comes to bringing down blood pressure and also when it comes to acting as a diuretic. There is also the fact that parsley, with its comparatively mild taste, can bring out the complexity of a dish that is usual considered bland. Add a bit of parsley to boiled or steamed vegetables to give them just a little bit of bite and make sure that you add it liberally to salads.
Getting to know parsley can make for an interesting break in your cooking routine, so start trying to grow your own! There are plenty of recipes that call for parsley and even the ones that don’t can probably stand to have it added.
