The Importance Of Parsley

Contemplate this scene if you will: Heracles, the mythical hero of ancient Greece, stands in triumph after one more success. He is handsome, smug and smiling as cheering crowds mill raucously at his feet. On his head is the symbol of his success—a luxuriant wreath of parsley.

Parsley?

Just so, according to the ancient Greeks.

We now know that the winners at the Nemean Games, one of the four Panhellenic Games of Ancient Greece, were given wreaths of parsley to signify their victories. When Hercules wore his triumphal wreath of parsley, he may have had an ulterior motive.

Parsley has long had a reputation for being helpful for a headache. Parsley may have been what Hercules did for a headache, what with all that cheering and such. Or he may have had still another even more ulterior motive, which we’ll look into later.

Something else that we’re going to look into is why so many of you have trouble growing this culinary herb, which is really not difficult at all.

The medicinal uses of parsley have been many and varied. In 164 A.D., the great Greek physician Galen noted that parsley was “sweet and grateful to the stomach.” In 1525, “Banke’s Herbal” states that “It comforteth the heart and stomach.”

In 1653, the English physician Nicholas Culpeper stated that it was of service to children and “upgrown people” who were bothered with “ wind in the stomach.” “Gerard’s Herbal” goes even further and calls parsley effective for “torments of the guts.”

Of all the uses of parsley mentioned in the early English herbals, the most widely accepted use was as a soother of stomachs. This has had a long history of good results, both for children and adults.

Medicinal parsley tea is made very simply by boiling the leaves a little and allowing them to steep in hot water. The resulting light-green liquid is then sweetened and sipped slowly.

While there other medicinal uses for parsley, it is, however, so rich in vitamins—A (as much as cod liver oil), B1, B2, niacin and C (as much as three times more than oranges)—as well as minerals—calcium and iron—that it may help to make many of us feel better.

The high chlorophyll content of the leaves makes parsley an excellent natural breath sweetener. Some vets even suggest it as a cure for doggie halitosis. The trick works quite well when taken with meals high in garlic content. And you thought those sprigs of parsley on your restaurant plates were only a garnish.

Unfortunately, the Romans believed that it also could remove intoxication, but all it really did was remove some of the evidence.

Not all the early medicinal uses of parsley were solidly grounded in success. It was used to revive sick fish, with questionable success. It was considered an aphrodisiac as well. To serve in this capacity it was usually served as parsley wine. There is some doubt as to whether the parsley or the wine was the active ingredient. Records of its success are somewhat vague.

On the culinary side, Pliny the Elder—a Roman author, naturalist and natural philosopher—comments on his discussions of Roman cuisine that no sauce or salad was served without parsley. A bit later on, in 16th century England, there was mention of parsley being served boiled, roasted, fried and stewed.

Today, however, parsley does not seem to have the culinary or herbal honor that it once did, probably because it is neither fish nor fowl, neither true herb nor vegetable. And yet I rarely find a vegetable or herb garden where the owner hasn’t at least tried to grow it.

It seems that the most difficult part of parsley culture is getting it to germinate. One saying goes: “Parsley goes down to the devil nine times before it comes up.” Another saying tells us to sow parsley “with much stomping and cursing.”

Both these old sayings point to one truth about this plant: the seed takes a long time to germinate and needs both firm planting and moist soil. Once you are aware of this, that it is going to take its own sweet time, you should just plant it and ignore it.

Remember, a watched parsley never sprouts. But one small trick may be in letting the seed soak in water overnight before sowing.

Another old saying ominously warns that it is bad luck to bring parsley into the house, or to transplant it into another garden.

There are two very good reasons for this ancient advice. First of all, it has a long taproot like a wild carrot and most attempts at transplanting result in damaging the root system beyond repair. Another problem for those trying to transplant or otherwise prolong its usefulness is that the plant is a biennial anyway and after the second summer, the whole plant will die anyway. You must then begin again with the stomping and cursing.

It’s also noteworthy that the best flavored parsley comes from first-year growth only.

Parsley seed will not germinate if it is planted more than a quarter of an inch deep. There is an age old scheme of planting radish seed and parsley seed together. The radish seed germinates quickly, provides space as it is growing and also seems to keep the soil open so the germinating parsley seedling can grow. Radishes also mark the rows so you don’t accidentally hoe out the herb.

If started indoors, give parsley four to six weeks to germinate. Since the plants can’t go into the ground until the soil temperature is 50 degrees, this means doing your first indoor sowing around March first, with plants going into the ground in mid-April. You can always do a first seeding indoors and then if you have problems, you can buy transplants at the garden center in April.

Yes, Virginia, there are different forms of parsley. The differences being on a continuum from flat-leaved, to curly, to almost fern like.

Some cooks seek out certain varieties for taste qualities while others simply grow them for plate garnishing.

Italian parsley is flat and is often substituted for Chinese parsley or cilantro. Giant Italian is a large, heavy producer with a strong flavor. Moss curled has an extra curl and crispness along with a mild flavor. Turnip-rooted, or Hamburg, is a dual-purpose type, which can be used for its greens and its roots, the latter giving a celery-like flavor to soups.

Whether started from seed or bought in packs at the garden center, parsley should be grown as an annual. And while it will tolerate poor soil and semi-shade it prefers a moist setting, as droughts tend to make it tough and of poor quality. Parsley also needs as much sun as you can afford it, with plants being thinned to 3-inch centers. Once it gets going, late summer attacks of spider mites can be controlled with daily, forceful water sprays or insecticidal soap applied in the cooler late afternoon or early evening.

In the meantime, keep growing.