Wholesale Parsley

01.
A Bit of Botany

a little botanical information on parsley

description
Petroselinum crispum is a bright green, biennial, plant in temperate climates, or an annual herb in subtropical and tropical areas. Where it grows as a biennial, in the first year, it forms a rosette of tripinnate leaves 10–25 cm long with numerous 1–3 cm leaflets, and a taproot used as a food store over the winter. In the second year, it grows a flowering stem to 75 cm tall with sparser leaves and flat-topped 3–10 cm diameter umbels with numerous 2 mm diameter yellow to yellowish-green flowers. The seeds are ovoid, 2–3 mm long, with prominent style remnants at the apex. One of the compounds of the essential oil is apiol. The plant normally dies after seed maturation.

common names & nomenclature
The word "parsley" is a merger of the Old English petersilie (which is identical to the contemporary German word for parsley: Petersilie) and the Old French peresil, both of which are derived from Medieval Latin petrosilium which is from the Greek for “rock” or “stone”.

Also known as:
parsley, garden parsley

02.
Where in the World

habitat and range for parsley

Parsley is native to the central Mediterranean region (southern Italy, Algeria, and Tunisia), naturalized elsewhere in Europe, and widely cultivated as an herb, a spice, and a vegetable.

03.
Cultivation & Harvesting

considerations for growing and harvesting parsley

climate
Parsley is a relatively hardy bienniel (annual in colder areas) though it needs some protection from cold. It prefers a sunny location where it receives a bit of shade for part of the day. If the parsley is getting too much sun, it will go pale.

soil
Parsley grows best in moist, well-drained soil.

growing
Growing parsley from seed—germination is slow, taking as long as four to six weeks, and it often is difficult because of furanocoumarins in its seed coat. Germination time can be reduced by pre-soaking the seed for 12 hours in hot water that is allowed to cool quickly, but be careful not to overdo the heat and cook the seed.

harvesting
Cut parsley stalks close to the ground, beginning with outside stalks and working your way around. This will encourage new growth. For best flavor, pick early in the day while it is still cool. At the end of the season, you can chop the whole plant off at the base. Use fresh for best flavor, or hang to dry for later use.

preserving
Store dried parsley in an airtight container in a cool, dry place.

04.
The Rest of the Story

parsley history, folklore, literature & more