Parsley (Petroselinum crispum), a member of the carrot family, is more than a sprig of decoration on the side of a restaurant plate. One tablespoon — or a good-sized sprig — supplies the daily minimum requirement of vitamins A and C.

        There are three types of parsley: the common curly leaf variety, Italian or flat-leaf that resembles a small-leaf celery and root parsley, called Parsley Toso.

        The tightly curled, jewel-green variety is what parsley should look like, but for cooking, the flat-leaf Italian parsley is most flavorful. And it's easily grown.

        Parsley seed is notoriously slow to germinate. An old wives' tale says that it has to “go to the devil nine times” before it germinates. Freezing the seed briefly helps to break dormancy by “signaling” that winter is over.

        I sow parsley in a pot indoors around mid-April and place it somewhere warm until the seeds germinate. Then I thin them to an inch apart and place the pot in a sunny window. On an overcast day two weeks before the last frost, I transplant the seedlings to the garden, spaced about 8 inches apart. Light frosts will not harm parsley. On Dec. 24 my parsley was still growing beautifully..

        For vigorous growth, parsley needs fertile soil and adequate water. Insects will not bother it. Although parsley is a biennial (its life spans two seasons), it's usually treated as an annual, so feel free to pull it up at the end of the first season.

        Parsley will flower, producing flat clusters of greenish-yellow florets similar to Queen Anne's lace in early summer. As with most herbs, flowering tends to make the foliage bitter. However, parsley flowers host many beneficial insects, including butterfly larvae, so it may be worthwhile to allow some plants to winter over and flower the next season.

        Begin harvesting parsley when it produces leaf stems with three segments. Pick the larger leaves from the outside of the plant first, leaving the new, interior shoots to mature. Store freshly picked sprigs in plastic bags in the refrigerator for two weeks. Or,freeze chopped leaves in plastic bags or blended in water in an ice cube tray for up to six months.

        Parsley also dries well in a microwave or regular oven, although it loses some of its flavor. Dried parsley can be stored in an air-tight jar for up to a year.

        Contact Tim Morehouse at www.getmoregarden.com.

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