How do you harvest and dry parsley?

Either use the fresh herb immediately or place the whole thing in a glass of water and refrigerate until needed. You can also dry your parsley once it is harvested. Wash it and pat it dry, then allow the parsley to dry completely in a warm, airy place. Once the parsley is dry, remove the leaves from the stems.

How do you harvest and store fresh parsley?

Cut the parsley at the base and hang it in a well-ventilated, shady, and warm place. Once it's completely dry, crumble it up and store it in an airtight container.

How do you dry fresh parsley from the garden?

Arrange the parsley in a single layer on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake until the parsley crumbles easily, about two to four hours, checking occasionally to ensure it doesn't burn. Crush the parsley using a mortar and pestle, removing any remaining stalks.

What does parsley look like when it's ready to harvest?

The first step of harvesting parsley is to choose the right plants. For harvesting leaves, you want to pick younger stems as they have the strongest flavors. Check the plant to make sure that stems have three segments or more. If you find three or more leaf clusters on the stem, it is ready for harvesting.

Where do you cut parsley when harvesting?

Just as with other herbs, parsley likes to be snipped, which encourages additional growth. Bunch the stems and leaves together and snip them off at ground level with kitchen shears. You can also just take a sprig or two starting with the outside stalks first. Be sure to cut at ground level though.

How to Harvest

Does parsley grow back after you cut it?

Yes, parsley will regrow after cutting. In fact, the more you cut the stems, the fuller the plant will get, and the larger your harvest will be.

Is it better to dry or freeze parsley?

If you need to keep your parsley longer than 3–5 days, freezing it is your best option. The herbs won't be sprightly enough to work as a garnish, but they'll definitely work when stirred into an herb sauce, a pan of scrambled eggs, or a pot of beans.

Can you air dry parsley?

Tie the herbs into bundles (about 4 to 6 branches). Hang them up to dry. One tip to save falling leaves is to place in a paper bag when you hang them upside down to air dry. Tear or punch holes in the side of the bag, especially near the tie at the top of the bag to allow for air circulation and to aid in drying.

How do you store parsley for a long time?

Keeping your parsley wrapped in a damp paper or kitchen towel in the refrigerator will keep it fresh for a few days. Treating the parsley much like a bunch of flowers will keep it fresh longer. Trim the stems slightly, and without washing place the bundle in a container filled with about 1 inch of water.

How long do you dry parsley in the oven?

Preheat oven to 170 F. Place parsley on a baking sheet, careful not to overlap any of the leaves. You will be drying the entire parsley stem and leaf, I find this method less time consuming than removing individual leaves. Put in the oven for 20 minutes, checking it reguarly to make sure it does not burn.

How long does dried parsley last?

Dried ground herbs like basil, parsley, and oregano last for 2-3 years. If they are dried and stored in their natural, whole form (e.g., basil or bay leaves), then they should last a little longer, about 3-4 years.

How do you dry parsley in a paper bag?

What is this? Fold over the top of the paper bag, lay it on its side, and then just let the parsley dry for 10-14 days. (I don't recommend just drying it on the counter without the bag. The paper bag will keep dust from settling on it.)

How do you harvest parsley without killing it?

How do you harvest parsley without killing the plant? Simple—just take what you need each time you harvest. Don't cut the plant all the way back, and don't pull the plant—just snip off a stem or two or three, and your plant will keep producing parsley all season long.

Does parsley grow back every year?

Parsley is actually a biennial. This less common classification means that the plant only comes back after two gardening seasons — just enough time to produce leaves, go to seed, and develop a substantial taproot. As a biennial, the parsley plant offers delicious leaves its first year, and goes to seed its second year.

Do you eat parsley stems?

You can eat the stems of parsley, but they are much more bitter than the leaves, so I recommend just using the leaves for most recipes. By placing all stems together, you can easily remove them in one quick cut.

Can I dry fresh parsley in the sun?

Drying parsley leaves in direct sunlight will cause the herbs to lose a lot of flavor and color. If you decide to dry the parsley outdoors, do your best to keep it out of the sun. More tender-leaved herbs, such as basil, mint, oregano, and tarragon will not be as easy as drying parsley.

Why is my dried parsley turning yellow?

Parsley requires evenly moist soil, so if the soil dries out then the leaves turn yellow as a sign of stress. Water parsley once every three days, plant it in a larger pot and prepare the soil with compost to help retain moisture. Aphid and spider mite infestations can cause parsley to turn yellow and droop.

What do you do with an abundance of parsley?

Treat it like any other leafy green and use it as a salad base — or mix it in with other lettuces to add a punch of flavor. You can also blitz it into a sauce, like chimichurri or pesto, stir it into a grain or bean salad, or throw it into a frittata.

How do you dry parsley without a dehydrator?

Place 1 paper towel flat on your plate. Lay out Parsley bunches in a single layer on the paper towel, then add another paper towel on top. Microwave for 30 seconds, then in 15 second increments until dry. If you have a larger bundle of parsley you are microwaving, you may need to add a little extra time.

Should you let parsley flower?

The entire parsley plant, thick stalks included, is edible. When the plant flowers, you can use the flowers in the same way as the leaves. Use the flowers as a garnish or mix them into your pesto, tabbouleh, tzatziki, salsa verde or chimichurri recipe just as you would the leaves.

What do you do with parsley when it goes to seed?

If the plant does begin to flower, nip them in the bud, literally. Pinch the flowers off ASAP. Lastly, to thwart bolting parsley plants, stagger plantings of parsley. Start the seeds indoors and then gradually introduce the seedlings to the outdoors.

Can you dry herbs in a Ziploc bag?

Freeze in a bundle

Wash and dry your leaves and then place a cup or two in a ziploc bag. Press the leaves to the bottom of the bag and then roll the bag up and place in your freezer. When you need these herbs just slice off a piece of the roll.