Now hang on a minute, what has your humble herb garden and the ubiquitous parsley got to do with the devil?   I will explain.

Anyone who grows parsley from seed will tell you that getting the seeds  to germinate is a gardening challenge of note and can take anything from 3 to 6 weeks.  The difficulty in germinating parsley seeds gave rise to the mid 17th century legend  which says that parsley seeds have to travel 9 times to the devil and back before they will germinate!.  There was a superstition that parsley belongs to the devil.  The seeds that do not germinate belong to the devil.   As with many herbs which have been cultivated for centuries, there are a number of fascinating old myths and legends about parsley.

The problem arises because the seed coats contain furanocoumarins which are a kind of germination inhibitor.  These compounds inhibit the germination of other seeds, so that parsley can establish its own space. However, parsley itself may be affected by the furanocoumarins.  Many gardeners shorten the germination time by pouring boiling water over the seeds and leaving them overnight before planting them.  Others say that germination can be hastened by freezing the seeds for a period. The idea is that when they come out of the freezer they think that winter is over and will become active.

There are various choices for planting the seeds.  A few brave souls  plant  seeds straight into the garden.  However the preferred way is to plant the seeds in pots either under glass in autumn, or indoors on a sunny windowsill.  Place multiple seeds  into pots filled with a potting mix and cover them with  only about 1/4 inch (6mm) of soil.   If you haven’t subjected the seeds to boiling water, you can do it when they are in the pot.  Keep the soil moist but not wet and er… then do your favorite seed germination dance!!

Once you have your seedlings, you need to know that parsley is fussy about being moved.   Thin out the unwanted seedlings leaving one good one in the pot  to grow.   You can carefully move your baby plant to a bigger pot and then eventually to your garden.  The tap route needs to be handled very gently.  If you planted your seeds in the garden, also thin them out.

Things get a lot easier after this.   The parsley plant will cover a space of around  to about In  one square foot (30cm sq).  It will grow up to  6-12 inches/15-30 cm tall.

The plant likes a good soil and can get thirsty so it needs to be watered regularly. If you intend to keep it for a second year, you may need to add some  winter mulching to protect the plant from hard frost.  It will die back and then grow again in the following season.

Parsley is a biennial.  It only flowers in the second year and makes a better culinary herb in its first year.  So many chefs treat is as an annual.

Plants do react to their environment and some gardeners will take a pot of parsley into the house or into a greenhouse  when the days get colder so that they can lengthen the growing period.   This can happens naturally in warm areas.

There are three types of parsley.   The curly leafed variety which makes a popular attractive garnish. The Italian flat leafed parsley tends to be more straggly and floppy.   The tastes of the two leaf parsleys are different so a keen chef may use both.

A  third type which is grown for its tap root is used in Europe as a vegetable and is gradually spreading to other countries. It looks rather similar to a parsnip but the taste is quite different.  It is used in soups and stews and for medicinal purposes.

Parsley is a herb that should be on everyone’s menu because it is jam packed with goodness!  It contains minerals including iron, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, sodium and sulfur.  There are vitamins in useful amounts.  These include Vitamin A, Vitamin B including  Thiamine,  Nicotine  acid,  Riboflavin and biotin are also present and Vitamin C.  It is full of antioxidants. It also contains chlorophyll.   With all that, it seems a crime that many people merely use parsley to decorate their food!

Parsley may be cut from the stalks any time after the leaves become well-formed. Cut the outside leaves and stems and allow the inner leaves to grow.

When your crop is producing more than you can use, you can dry the herb.   Tie the stalks together and preserve both the color and the flavor by dipping it into boiling water then iced water. Hang it in a dry place until you can crumble the leaves. If you are in a dusty environment, cover the herbs with a paper bag.  Stored in an airtight container.

A second method is to chop your fresh parsley and then put it into ice cubes trays.  Top up with water and freeze.  The ice cubes can be placed in plastic bags and labeled with name and date.

Parsley grown indoors
There are a few pointers to succeeding in growing parsley indoors. The first is that you need a deep pot to accommodate the tap root.  Choose a south facing window if you are in the northern hemisphere.  Make sure there are no drafts.   The plant will need 4 to 6 hours of sunshine or you may need to use a grow lamp.  Plants indoors need a little more love than those grown outside.  Watch the heat and the watering.  If it is very dry, misting your parsley will be good for it. The pot needs to drain well, so you might put some stones in the bottom before your potting mix.  Also stand the pot in a tray so that when you do water, the excess can easily be drained away.  Turn your pots regularly so that all sides of the plant get sunshine.

In the kitchen.
The curly leaf variety of parsley is used often as a garnish.  It stays firm and will enhance any dish.  Both curly and flat leaf parsley can be used in almost any savory dish you are preparing – stews, stuffing, vegetable dishes, potatoes, sauces, eggs, dips, biscuits, omelets, rice, pasta dishes, meat, fish, shellfish, and poultry. It can be eaten raw in salads, mixed with soft cheeses or butter.   It helps to bring out the flavor of other herbs and is therefore always included in a bouquet garni.

Parsley can be added during the cooking process and again just before serving for a stronger  flavor.  In Scotland my aunt used to always serve soup with a side bowl of chopped parsley.  Added at the table, it had lost none of its flavor.

Parsley is part of the very large carrot family of plants.  A few of the other members of the same family are dill,  chervil,  angelica,  celery,  caraway, coriander,  fennel,  parsnip,   anise, lovage and fool’s parsley, the highly toxic  poison hemlock

Companion Plants
Almost every widely cultivated plant of this group is a “companion plant”.   This means that when it grows near other plants it benefits them in some way. Parsley flowers attract wasps and predatory flies which  drink the nectar and  then they prey on insect pests on nearby plants.

Medicinal
For medicinal use Italian parsley and the parsley root are used.    Chinese and German herbologists recommend parsley tea to help control high blood pressure.   Cherokees used it as a tonic to strengthen the bladder.

Magnesium  stimulates  muscle activity and muscle relaxation.   Iron is important for the formation of  healthy red blood cells.

Used as a herbal infusion tea, parsley benefits the kidneys and will detox the body, act as a diuretic and selectively eliminate water and sodium whilst reabsorbing potassium.

Parsley contains histidine (an amino acid) which has been shown in animal research to inhibit  tumor growth because it can neutralize certain types of carcinogens in the body.

It has been used as an emmenagogue. This means that it will stimulate the blood flow in the pelvic area and the uterus.  It can stimulate menstruation when it is absent and has been used to terminate pregnancy together with other herbs.  Therefore pregnant women should not use it in medicinal strengths.

Other Uses
Parsley is used as an antiseptic dressing for wounds.
When crushed and rubbed on the skin, parsley can reduce itching in mosquito bites.
Due to its high chlorophyll content parsley  is frequently used as a breath freshener especially after eating raw garlic and onions.
It is beneficial for  rheumatoid arthritis and lessens inflammation.
It can be used to get rid of head lice.
Burned twigs of parsley will act as a room freshener
Parsley tea improves digestion and flatulence.
With other herbs it becomes a moth repellent.
The tea can improve the skin.
Blended with rosemary and lovage it can be used as a hair rinse to stimulate hair growth.

History
The name parsley is a corruption of two Latin words petros (rock)  and selinon (celery).  It was apparently named because the plant was frequently found growing in the middle of rocks.

The ancient  Greeks had a couple of blood thirsty stories about parsley. One is that the king’s son Opheltes was killed by a dragon and buried.  One of the men who buried him felt the omens were bad for him and his companions and began to call the dead child  Archemorus which meant “Forerunner of Death”.   Some time later the Nemean games were started to honor Archemorus and wreaths made from parsley were used to crown the victors. These games apparently were an extension of  games played at funerals where tombs were decorated with parsley and so somehow the poor parsley herb became  associated with death.

Greek mythology can be a complicated  web of intrigue which beats any soap opera  we have today.  An even more gruesome story suggests that Archmous was actually  consumed by snakes and as his blood ran, the parsley plant sprouted from the blood.

With all this talk of death, Greeks  considered it unwise to bring parsley into the house let alone eat it,  although it was apparently fed to the horses.

The Romans used parsley for a garnish and as a flavoring. They would place parsley on their tables and hang it around their necks to ward off unpleasant odors.

There are many different stories about parsley arising from different cultures.   English history abounds in myths and legends.

Medieval Europeans believed that you could kill someone by plucking a sprig and invoking that person’s name at the same time.

It is thought that parsley arrived in  America in the 17th century.  Today is widely grown and used.

And so briefly, that is the story of parsley.  Nature has been generous in giving us this nutrient packed herb.   Our diet will benefit from it and it can be added to so many of our foods.    Fresh parsley?  A must for your home herb garden.

Good herbs gardening!

* Disclaimer: Information on Home Herb Garden about various medicinal uses of herbs is provided for your enlightenment, entertainment and education only.  Please do not use these herbs without expert advice from properly qualified personnel.   See my full disclaimer for more information.