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Food and Farming Page

Parsley

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Penny Royal

If there be nothing new under the sun, there are, at any rate, different uses found for the same thing; for this pretty aromatic herb was used in ancient times, as we learn from mythological narrative, to adorn the head of a hero, both in the Nemaean and Isthmian games, and no less than Hercules; and now--was ever fall so great?--we moderns use it in connection with the head of--a calf. According to Homer's "Iliad," warriors fed their chariot-steeds on parsley, and the voluptuous Anacreon pronounces this beautiful herb the emblem of joy and festivity; and Pliny acquaints us with the fact that, as a symbol of mourning, it was admitted to furnish the funeral tables of the Romans. Egypt, some say, first produced this herb; thence it was introduced, by some unknown voyager, into Sardinia, where the Carthaginians found it, and made it known to the inhabitants of Marseilles.

It has an elegant leaf, and is extensively used in the culinary art. When it was introduced to Britain is not known. There are several varieties,--the plain-leaved and the curled-leaved, celery-parsley, Hamburg parsley, and purslane. The curled is the best, and, from the form of its leaf, has a beautiful appearance on a dish as a garnish. Its flavour is, to many, very agreeable in soups, and to garnish roast Beef, excellent with bread and butter in the spring; and although to rabbits, hares, and sheep it is a luxury, to parrots it is a poison. The celery-parsley is used as a celery, and the Hamburg is cultivated only for its roots, which are used as parsnips or carrots, to eat with meat. The purslane is a native of South America, and is not now much in use.

Parsley, of the three kinds, the thickest and branchiest is the best, is sown among onions, or in a bed by itself, may be dried for winter use; tho' a method which I have experienced is much better - In September I dig my roots, procure an old thin stave dry cask, bore holes an inch diameter in every stave, 6 inches asunder round the cask and up to the top - take first a half bushel of rich garden mould and put into the cask, then run the roots through the staves, leaving the branches outside, press the earth tight about the root within, and thus continue on through the respective stories, till the cask is full; it being filled, run an iron bar through the centre of the dirt in the cask, and fill it with water, let it stand on the south and east side of a building till frosty nights, then remove it. (by slinging a roap round the cask) into the cellar; where, during the winter, I clip with my scissars the fresh parsley, which my neighbors or myself have occasion for; and in the spring transplant the roots in the bed in the garden, or in any unused corner - or let stand upon the wharf or the wash shed. It is an useful mode of cultivation, and a pleasurable tasted herb, and much used in garnishing viands.

To preserve parsley through the winter: Use freshly-gathered parsley for keeping, and wash it perfectly free from grit and dirt; put it into boiling water which has been slightly salted and well skimmed, and then let it boil for 2 or 3 minutes; take it out, let it drain, and lay it on a sieve in front of the fire, when it should be dried as expeditiously as possible. Store it away in a very dry place in bottles, and when wanted for use, pour over it a little warm water, and let it stand for about 5 minutes. This may be done at any time between June and October.