More than a Garnish!

Picture: Taken today. My happy parsley patch. 

The other day I dropped in to visit my sister Susan - it happened to be just as she was preparing for dinner - meanwhile her boys, 3 & 5 years old, were getting peckish. On her window sill was a glass of water filled with parsley. She grabbed two moderate size bouquets (4-5 flower heads) and gave them to her boys. She explained how they just love them. In fact, they finished their bouquets and asked for more! Susan said, "I just can't keep up buying enough of it!" and gave a tip: "If you keep it in a glass a water, it will stay fresher for longer". I know she looks forward to picking it from her garden this year!


Wow! This made me think about how most of us overlook parsley. We tend to think of it just as a garnish. How many of us actually use it in our cooking, fresh or cooked? And how much do we use, a sprinkle or do we eat it like any other vegetable? And the ultimate question of the day is: Is parsley a herb, a vegetable or a spice? (I'll give you the answer at the bottom of this blog.)


I've made salads laced with parsley often at times when company has come over to dine and the typical response I have heard about it is, "Ew!" What is it about parsley that has conditioned us to think so? If people knew how good parsley is for them, might they reconsider?

Parsley is loaded with antioxidants and is at the top of the cancer-fighting foods list. It’s organic compound, myristicin, actually inhibits tumor formation. Luteolin (another organic compound) serves as an anti-inflammatory agent. Parsley is also loaded with vitamin C, vitamin A and vitamin K – which all strengthen the body’s immune system in different ways. It’s also a good source of folic acid and iron, and has 0 calories! It’s good for the heart and protects against arthritis and a whole bunch of other healthy benefits and goodness - that you can research more about.

What else is parsley good for?

When you chew it, it helps to freshen bad breath. So if you're out on a date, make sure to eat your ‘garnish’ after you finish your meal! You're date might think you have a daring palette, but you'll be one up on them :)

Parsley also is beneficial in the garden! 

It is widely used as a companion plant in gardens. Like many other members of the carrot family (umbellifers), it attracts predatory insects, including wasps and predatory flies to gardens, which then tend to protect plants nearby. These insects are especially useful for protecting tomato plants as the wasps that kill tomato hornworms also eat nectar from parsley. Also, the strong scent of parsley leaves mingle with the tomato scent and confuses the tomato moth. Good to know!  Hmmm.... Tomatoes and parsley also fit nicely together in a cold Quinoa or Couscous salad! So now you can have a one-stop-garden-harvest-plot!

How does it grow in the garden?

Parsley is a biennial plant that will return to the garden year after year once it’s established. My parsley has been coming up since early January. Each snowfall and frost period we've experienced since has stunted it a little, but it's back with a vengeance and I'm enjoying it regularly now!

What types of parsley can you grow?

The two most popular types of parsley are curly parsley (top below) and Italian flat leaf parsley (bottom below). The Italian variety has a more fragrant and less bitter taste than the curly variety. There is also another type of parsley known as turnip-rooted (or Hamburg) that is cultivated for its roots, which resemble salsify and burdock. (I've never tried growing the latter - if you do or know someone that does, drop me a line). 

If you haven't already planted parsley yet - get it in the ground as soon as possible. It takes off better when the weather is cooler and damp like it is now... It prefers well-drained soil and sunshine...(most plants do), but I find that its pretty hardy and able to withstand multiple conditions.

If you're parsley is growing for its second year, don't be surprised if you see it shoot up and go into flowers when the weather gets warm. Keep cutting it back to keep using it - and/or - let it go to seed and collect them for next year' seedy Saturday exchange!

Finally, the answer you have all been waiting for: Parsley is all three: a herb, a spice and a vegetable!