Canadian owned & operated—Shipping across North America!
Parsley is the Herb of the Year for 2021, as selected by the International Herb Association. And no wonder – it is such a versatile and indispensable herb and it is hard to imagine any kitchen without it. Fresh chopped parsley is fundamental in soups and stews, in salads, and on vegetables, fish, meat, and eggs. It brightens other flavours, adding a fresh, earthy balance that makes you want to smack your lips when the cooking is done.
Parsley wasn’t always the culinary star it is today. Half a century ago it was mostly used as a garnish for decoration – and not added to food for flavour. The visual appeal of fresh parsley sprigs on the plate helped to stimulate the appetite, but the sprigs would be discarded with the kitchen scraps. Like the pauper who doesn’t know the riches he has, cooks and diners missed out on parsley’s rich flavours – and all the health benefits in the rich stores of antioxidants and phytonutrients that come in every sprig.
Today, parsley is a must in the garden. Richters has more than a dozen varieties to grow, from the plain or flat leaf types and the curled and moss-curled types, to the dual purpose root parsleys with their edible roots and edible tops.
Parsley has some close cousins that are equally deserving in the kitchen and in the garden. Leaf celery is parsley’s closest relative with a rich, satisfying celery-like flavour used in soups and stews. Chervil is known as “French parsley” and is, along with true parsley, one of the foundational fines herbes of French cuisine. Cilantro, another near relative, is often called "Chinese parsley" and it is of course an essential fresh herb throughout the Orient and around the world. Lovage is sometimes known as “love parsley”, with a strong celery-like flavour popular in Europe for soups and stews. Finally, there is Japanese parsley, or mitsuba, which is used for traditional soups, stews, meats, noodles and dumplings.