IF YOU THINK OF PARSLEY AS A GARNISH, plant a seedling or two and be done with it. To me, parsley is a staple ingredient in salads and pestos, red sauces and soups, and egg creations like frittatas (and so much more). So I grow 365 days’ worth, and stash lots in the freezer–much better then dried, if you know how. Learn the tricks to growing, and storing, a year of parsley.
I WATCHED A ZOOM lecture the other day that really put into words a lot of the ways my own deepening understanding of ecology is shaking up the way I practice horticulture—from spring cleanup, right on to the last chore of the active year. The lecturer was Rebecca McMackin, director of horticulture for Brooklyn Bridge Park in New York City, where she leads the team that manages 85 acres of diverse parkland with a central focus on habitat creation of woodlands, wetlands, and meadows to build soils and support birds, butterflies, and other organisms.
We talked about the dynamic tactics they use and when and why–a whole different approach to spring cleanup, where the life cycles of animals (from insects on up) dictate what happens when, garden maintenance-wise. Like why some things don’t get cut back, and others that are still seed-laden when they do have their seeds collected and set aside, then returned to the spot after whatever cleanup is needed there.
(Stream it below, read the illustrated transcript or subscribe free.)
I’m going to try the parsley log idea this year. I’ve been putting leaves in ice cube trays and freezing them with water. I’m sure they keep better your way! Thanks.
I grow a lot of parsley, but I don’t use it all that much. I grow much of mine for the Black Swallowtail caterpillars who love it. Butterflies are also the reason I grow a lot of dill and fennel.~~Dee
I was dehydrating my parsley every year….then finally a friend who is also a chef said – freeze it – now I’m reading your fab ideas and here I go – a year I go! Thanks, Jennifer jennsthreegraces
I like to grow parsley in pots. I plant the seeds, water thoroughly, and then place the pot in a large plastic bag and tie it shut. It seems to stay evenly moist and germinate a little more reliably.
Toward the end of summer I bring the whole pot inside. The winter crop won’t be as lush as the summer crop, but will supply enough to harvest fresh until spring.
I just planted my first cilantro plants — because my habit is becoming too expensive to supply at the grocery store! Any tips for growing cilantro? Can I assume that since they look the same, cilantro and parsley have similar growing needs?
Welcome, Rachel. The trick with cilantro (which you are correct, is a cousin of parsley) is to sow a small amount every two weeks or thereabouts, and always have fresh leaves. Parsley takes much of a growing season here in the North to go to seed; cilantro will do so much faster, and then you will be without the green leaves you want (and end up with coriander seeds instead).
This “small amount every two weeks” theory is the way to go with salad greens, cilantro, bush beans…not just the one thing. :)
Welcome also to Jennifer. Glad we have convinced you to joining us on the other (freezer) side. No more dehydrating of things like parsley. More flavor is possible in the deep-freeze. See you soon again!
Do you cover your vast parsley fields to keep the butterflies, their eggs and eventual caterpillars off your harvest?
Hi, Ei. I only have a row of plants and I do not cover them because nobody ever eats them, but if I did have an issue, I’d use a very lightweight cover, yes — one that doesn’t make too much heat or shade.
I love your self-sown parsley story, Helen. Here the big volunteers are dill and lettuce!
What did you mean about being left with coriander seeds if the cilantro
Goes to seed. Can you eat them as coriander if they do?
Yes, Lydia, what we call cilantro is just the green leaves of the young Coriandrum sativum plant — coriander. Once it grows up a bit, it flowers and then sets seed that we call coriander in our spice cabinet.