Culinary Herbs - ParsleyWhen most people think of parsley, they think of the green stuff used to garnish food in restaurants. It's beautiful, yes, but doesn't have much flavor. It is however, great as a breath freshener. This is known as curly parsley. Flat leaf parsley, or Italian parsley is another story. Flat leaf parsley has a celery-type flavor and is great for soups, meats, salads, veggies, sauces, pesto and so on. Parsley is technically a biennial, but most people grow it as an annual. Curly parsley grows to about 12 inches, while flat leaf parsley doubles it at 24 inches. If starting from seed, there are a few things to mention here. Parsley is extremely slow to germinate (can take 2-5 weeks). Be sure to soak your seeds overnight in warm water to help speed this along. Start your seeds 6-8 weeks before the last frost. Be sure to remove flower buds before they bloom if you are still harvesting. Harvest periodically throughout the season to encourage new growth.
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