Petroselinum crispum
What’s in it
Parsley contains flavonoids and antioxidants, folic acid, and vitamins A, K, and C. In addition to fiber, parsley contains calcium and iron (here is the full nutrition information). Excessive consumption of parsley should be avoided by pregnant women.
Grow
In zone 5, U.S., parsley grows as a biennial, it flowers in the second year, and this is when I collect its seeds. I prefer to grow the Italian (flat leaf) variety of parsley. According to this website, one can start the seeds 3 to 4 weeks before the last spring frost since parsley withstands cold weather, and it can take up to 3 weeks for the seeds to sprout. To grow parsley, choose a sunny place in your garden with rich soil.
Harvesting
For cooking, cut gently the individual parsley leaves on their stalks in the first year of the plant. Do not pull on the plant, since the root can re-grow new sprigs again and again. You can harvest the same plant during the entire summer and fall (parsley is the last plant to die in my garden in late fall). I use fresh parsley throughout the warm season. To store parsley for winter cooking, I wash the leaves, dry them for an hour and press tight in sandwich bags by expelling as much air as possible. The batches frozen at -20ºC last through the winter. When I cook with parsley, I take a bag from the freezer and until the herb is frozen, I crush it in the bag with my hands to skip the chopping.
Medicinal uses for parsley
- According to Web MD and phytotherapy books, parsley stimulates the appetite, improves digestion, reduces gas, increases urine production, reduces spasms, and increases menstrual flow! Both parsley leaf and root can be used in teas as a diuretic to reduce excessive water in the body (as in gout and rheumatism).
- Parsley is one of the herbs that fight anemia. One recipe I have tried for my own anemia was a daily dose of a cup of plain yogurt with chopped parsley and a bit of salt. Yogurt helps restore your healthy gut bacteria, and parsley’s vitamin C helps the absorption of iron.
- Parsley is also antibacterial and antifungal, may be this is why is effective is reducing bad breath (just chew on a few sprigs).
- Apigenin, one of the compounds in parsley, has been researched as an anti-cancer substance.
- More healing properties of parsley are listed on this website.
Cosmetics with parsley
- Due to its high vitamin C contents, parsley may reduce dark eye circles. For this purpose, a few drops of juice are extracted from chopped parsley leaves, mixed with yogurt, and applied under the eyes.
- Due to its antibacterial properties, parsley is also used in recipes against acne.
Cooking with parsley
Almost all soups and salads I prepare include parsley. For soups, add the chopped parsley right at the end of cooking, immediately after the heat is turned off. This will preserve the healthy compounds in parsley.
Here is also a recipe for a cheap and easy to prepare vegetarian dish:
Green beans meal
Soften one chopped onion and a few chopped carrots in two tablespoons of olive oil. If the veggies start burning, add a bit of water (half a cup). Once the carrots and onion are soft, add two cans (14.5 oz) of green beans (without their liquid), and water the volume of the two cans. Add 2-3 chopped tomatoes (or a 14.5 oz can of chopped tomatoes), salt, paprika and hot red flakes to taste. Bring to boil, and then turn the heat down to simmer for five minutes. Just before turning off the heat, add chopped ½ bunch of dill and ½ bunch of parsley. In summer time, serve the dish cold with feta cheese sprinkled on top. The dish is also delicious when warm and served with a spoonful of plain yogurt on top. If the green beans are fresh, increase the cooking time. You can also use green peas instead of green beans.
Resources
- http://www.stylecraze.com/articles/amazing-health-benefits-of-parsley
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