Everything You Need to Know About Parsley

We’ve all seen those little green leaves on top of our food before. But little did you know, you’re giving up a lot of goodness when you toss that green garnish aside. Parsley is a hidden gem, dense with flavour and nutrition. And the best part? It’s super easy to grow indoors so you can enjoy the benefits year round!

Parsley Basics

You can recognize parsley from its bright green leaves with jagged edges. Parsley comes in two main varieties: flat-leaf and curly-leafed. The flat-leaf parsley is much more commonly used in cooking as it’s easier to work with and the more flavourful variety. The prettier curly leaf makes for an excellent garnish.

Where does it grow?

Parsley has been cultivated for over 2000 years. It originates from the Mediterranean, and was originally used by Greeks and Romans medicinally. Eventually, people figured out this nutritional green was good to eat, and now it’s among the world’s most popular herbs.

Why it’s Good for You?

Parsely is a nutritional powerhouse! Just 60 grams of this little plant packs more Vitamin C than an orange, enough Vitamin A to get you through your day, and enough Vitamin K to get you through 12 days!  It’s so easy to get essential vitamins and minerals from parsley, it almost feels like cheating.

Vitamins in Parsley:

• Vitamin A: If it’s green, it’s probably got some A. Vitamin A  helps with eye and vision development, but also assists in creating strong bones, skin and immune systems.
• Vitamin C: A natural antioxidant, also necessary for function and production of blood vessels and connective tissue.
• Vitamin K: If you fall and scrape your knee, you’ll need Vitamin K to regulate blood clotting in your body.
• Folate: When Folate isn’t synthesizing your DNA, or repairing your tissues, it’s probably helping in one of many other crucial and complicated bodily processes.

Minerals in Parsley:

• Iron: Your body uses iron to transport oxygen from your lungs to the rest of your body. It’s also the most common mineral deficiency. Over 10% of women in the U.S. could use more iron.
• Magnesium: It’s a multi-tasking mineral that helps with nerve, blood, DNA and bone function. It’s a very commonly used off-the-shelf supplement. Generally teenage girls, and men over 70 are deficient in magnesium.
• Potassium: Works hand in hand with sodium to balance water and acid in your cells. It sounds boring, but it’s an incredibly important process. 

Indoor Growing Tips:

Ideal Method: Much like basil and other herbs, parsley does especially well in container gardens. When starting from seed, soak them overnight for quicker germination. Parsley is a biennial, which means the delicious leaves only come once every other year.

Ideal Temperature: Anything above freezing temperature is good enough for parsley. It should thrive at room temperature.

Water Requirements: Parsley is adaptable and only needs a few centimetres of water per week to keep the soil moist.

Sun Requirements: Parsley will live in full-sun or part-sun environments. When growing indoors, it’s best to leave on a sunny windowsill.

Soil Requirements: Use moist soil in a container.

Fertilizer Requirements: Use fertilizer in the initial growing period.

What can you make with it?

Parsley is like salt. It pretty much goes with anything and can be used to tie flavours together. It’s used in a lot of European, American and Middle Eastern dishes. The leaves of Parsley are the most commonly used portions. 

However, you can also use the Parsley roots and stems too, which actually hold much more flavour. Shave the roots over a salad, or use the stems in a pesto for a burst of extra parsley goodness.

Parsley is perfection! Your dishes just wish they could get more of this stuff. There’s only one problem, now that you’re equipped to grow this green indoors, you have NO EXCUSE for not churning out a flavourful meal every time.