Preserving Parsley

[PhilosopherStorm]

I have been blessed with an abundance of parsley this year, and though I tried my best to use it all, I barely made a dent in the crop. It is just now showing the signs of wanting to bolt, and so I am wondering if anyone has any ideas as to ways to preserve parsley, as well as use the preserved parsley. I typically grow it for fresh use in tabouleh and other salads, as well to provide the larval crop for the swallowtail butterfly, but as I said, neither of these resulted in more than a small dent in the production.

Any ideas would be warmly welcomed..

[reavilh]

we take our extra and dry it, then crumble into baggies, and store it in the freezer

[PhilosopherStorm]

Do you use a dehydrator, or just hang it or what? And if I may ask, in what ways do you use it when dried? I am spoiled on fresh, but my frugal nature hates to see it go to waste, especially if I can learn a new dish along the way..

[terrianne]

Since parsley is a Biennial..and will go to seed the second year...I plant a fresh crop every year so I will constantly have a crop that I will harvest from and a crop I let go to seed. I use it fresh and cover it when the weather turns freezing. I have gone out in December and found fresh parsley under a thick layer of mulch. I keep dried on hand for sauces etc.

I got this method of drying from Countryside Magazine. Spread your clean parsley out on a towel and put it in the car. Crack the windows for moisture to escape. After a day in the car...voila' ...nice dried parsley. I store it in a clean canning jar on the shelf in the pantry. I dry all sorts of herbs this way...Car smells really good.

[jrljames]

here is my fav. way to preserve any fresh herb. chop, put into ice trays, cover with water, freeze, bag, and date . nothing like the fresh taste of basil when winter gray is on ya.

[PhilosopherStorm]

jrljames,

That is exactly what I did with the cilantro crop a couple of months ago. I just do not see the application for the frozen parsley.. maybe the problem is just shortage of recipes.. :)

[jrljames]

ph, try makeing a pestoish with parsley. put into small bags and throw in freezer. winter time;pull it out and dress your pasta gravey or anything.

[PhilosopherStorm]

Thanks jrlj.. That is the second time I have gotten that suggestion (the other time was from a friend) so maybe it is time to listen.. :)

[Veggie]

I have found blanching my herbs really helps to preserve the flavor and color (either before drying or freezing). I usually blanch mine, let it finish drip drying, then hang it upside down in a spare bedroom upstairs. I use a rubber band to hold the fresh stuff together then hold it by that to dip into the boiling water and then ice bath. Then I use a cloths pin in the rubber band to hand it on a line in the spare bed room. If you are worried about dust you can put a paper bag over the herbs (I'd just wait a few hours to make sure its really dry).

You might also want to consider a "pesto", just mix the fresh herbs in a blender with olive oil (extra virgin) and blend till smooth. Either let some of the oil settle to the top or add some to the top of the container and pop it in the freezer. You can also do this in ice cube trays and then pop out the individual servings, and place them in a zip top bag.

If you really do have a lot left over consider drying some and giving it as gifts :) I know my mom loved it when I sent some over to her!!

Here's a recipe from Alton Brown:

Parsley Salad
4 ounces (about 2 quarts) Italian parsley
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons lemon zest
6 tablespoons walnut oil
2 teaspoons dark sesame oil
1 teaspoon honey
Salt and freshly ground pepper
3 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds

Wash and dry the parsley. Pick the leaves, and set aside. Discard the stems.
In a large bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, zest, walnut oil, sesame oil, honey, and salt and pepper, to taste. Add the parsley and sesame seeds and toss to combine. Allow the salad to sit for at least 30 minutes before serving so that flavors meld.

[Nemophila]

Since parsley is a Biennial..and will go to seed the second year...I plant a fresh crop every year so I will constantly have a crop that I will harvest from and a crop I let go to seed. I use it fresh and cover it when the weather turns freezing. I have gone out in December and found fresh parsley under a thick layer of mulch. I keep dried on hand for sauces etc.

I got this method of drying from Countryside Magazine. Spread your clean parsley out on a towel and put it in the car. Crack the windows for moisture to escape. After a day in the car...voila' ...nice dried parsley. I store it in a clean canning jar on the shelf in the pantry. I dry all sorts of herbs this way...Car smells really good.

This method of drying is brilliant! I've tried it with a few of my herbs with great results. It is sooo much quicker and easier than anything else I've tried. Thanks for the tip!

[GreenZone]

The car method does sound good! Last year the basil grew really well in my un-irrigated Ozark garden, but it never seemed to dry well. So I'll definitely be trying the method under discussion. Assuming I get a crop this year...
--Randel

[TastyofHasty]

I seem to go through jar after jar of the dried parsley you get for 50 cents at Walmart! It just GOES! One thing it's good in that I remember is in hamburgers/hamburger steaks ... or turkey burgers ... when you mix in chopped onions/garlic/salt & pepper with your raw meat, add a LOT of dried parsley, then cook! It's just good! And it's good in chicken gumbo, add it at the end a little after you add chopped green pepper. And spaghetti sauce, and lasagna. I seem to put dried parsley in EVERYTHING ... oh yeah, pasta salads, potato salad, on cut tomatoes with sour cream; and of course, throw some in regular salads!

Tell you what. Just bottle it up and send it to me! :rolleyes:

[Nemophila]

Hi TastyofHasty! Greetings from another parsley addict. :D So how many people have tried to tell you that it tastes like nothing when dried?!!! :confused:

[TastyofHasty]

Greetings, Nemophila! Nawww ... that it's not strong is one of its NICE characteristics! My hubby will ACCEPT it ... it's on his "acceptable" list, along with black pepper and salt ... unlike thyme, oregano, sage, red pepper, all those other things I have to SNEAK in as a sort of unidentifiable UNDERtaste. :rolleyes: And, of course, I can always put red pepper on MY food AFTER it's cooked. I guess I've learned to have a "light hand" with herbs and spices ... that's supposed to be GOOD, eh?? Maybe I go "all out" with parsley 'cause I know it's good for us, and can't use a lot of other spices (if the food's going to get et, that is!) I think of parsley, too, as "something green" when a meal lacks anything else with chlorophyll in it.

I read somewhere you're supposed to plant parsley on Good Friday. Can't remember why?? Haven't planted any since living in Arkansas ... but saw a nice patch at someone's house (I think north of Fayetteville).

[SelfSufficientOne]

I too love our dried parsley. I dry mine in my dehydrator then store it in jars.I put it on and in everything I can. It is the only way I can get anything green into my son. Love the idea of putting it in hamburg, very interesting.

[SunflowerMeg]

You can make parlsey/basil pesto, or cilantro/parsley pesto (not so much for a condiment, but for the nutrition content), and take a tablespoon a day as an internal cleanse!

Also, I make a balsamic/olive oil dressing and I always throw a handful of the herb combo basil/oregano/parsley into it. I practically drink the stuff plain, so I go through a lot of dried herb this way. I always use fresh or dried herbs of this combo in all of my meatloaf, hamburger, spaghetti-type recipes. The dressing recipe is:

2/3 c. olive oil
1/3 c. balsamic vinegar
handful fresh or dried oregano/parsley/basil
2-3 fresh pressed garlic
salt and pepper to taste
crumbled feta is optional
sugar is optional

It's a basic oil and vinegar recipe, but very nutritious with all those herbs and garlic. I leave out the sugar. Of course, it's all "to taste."

For hamburgers, mix pressed garlic, combo herbs, salt and pepper, 1 egg or egg white, and then pat them out. I like using a cast iron skillet to cook them. Before you turn on the heat, make a little hole in the center and put a little bit of butter in the hole and then cover the hole back up. Fry as usual to desired doneness. The butter will make them very moist. I use only organic butter; no canola or soy margarines. This method turns a regular ol' hamburger into a feast. But we don't use buns/bread. I make big burgers so we can eliminate the heavy carbs! I also use the leaner, organic beef, so the little pat of butter moistens them back up due to the lack of higher fat content.

We are all plagued with Th1 diseases in my house (fibromyalgia, etc), and a higher protein, less grainy diet is best for us.

[TastyofHasty]

Another nice thing to add to homemade olive oil/vinegar dressings is allspice!

[tashak]

Awfully good not just with couscous, but also chopped and added to noodle dishes (hot or cold),egg dishes, and sprigs added to soup,sandwiches. Both are good with tomatoes, too--I remember my grandmother's winter dish of stewed tomatoes with toasted cheese triangles as croutons (sp?). I love parsley and cilantro.
Question re freezing parsley in ice cubes--do you do this also with cilantro? Does that work?