Parsley - A Forgotten Gem

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When I was a child, if anyone asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up, I would answer,  ‘a witch’, much to my mothers chargin of course.  Not the kind that ate children and turned handsome cad-like princes into frogs (although that’s a skill which might not be under-utilised had I the ability), but the kind of nice witch, who lived in the woods in a pretty cottage and was able to cure people of all sorts of ails with herbs and plants. I’ve kind of grown out of that life aim, for now.  Though there are some who might say I have achieved it in some form or other.  

But herbs are indeed magical.  They can be powerfully curative; in the garden, on a sunny day after rain, the perfume from the herb patch is mesmerising and where my interest lies mostly these days is that they can transform the most dull dish into something divine.

 Herbs are also very easy to grow and there are many web sites dedicated to this.  There’s great satisfaction in picking your own herbs for dinner.  You don’t need a large area to grow herbs, or even a garden.  They’re perfectly happy to thrive in pots on your balcony.  And in fact, growing perennial herbs in small pots is quite handy as you can take them in from the cold when winter comes.

I’d like to talk about Parsley though.  Poor poor parsley.  I mean the curly kind, the one our grannies used.  Today this most familiar of herbs is taken for granted, and even seen as ‘passé’, as just being a 1970’s garnish on the side of a plate.  But Parsley is much much more than that.  Here is an interesting extract from A Concise Guide To Herbs by Jenny Linford

“Parsley has long been a valued medicinal herb, credited by herbalist Culpeper with treating many diseases, including liver and kidney complaints.  There are many beliefs and superstitions associated with it; the Ancient Greeks decorated tombs with parsley and the Ancient Romans wore parsley wreaths at banquets to prevent intoxication.  Its long germination time (seventy to ninety days) let to the old saying the parsley seed goes six times to the Devil and back before germinating. ….Its high chlorophyll content makes it a useful breath freshener and it’s also a good source of vitamins C and A and iron”

My suggestion….don’t over look parsley as a great and powerful herb.  This weekend I’ll be chargrilling Sardines and I’m making a lemon & parsley pesto to drizzle over them.  I’ll post this recipe in the Recipes section of this site.

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