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If you place the stems of your parsley bouquet in a vase like a bouquet of flowers and keep them in a place exposed to direct light, our beloved herb will remain peacefully preserved, retaining its flavor and aroma intact, for at least three days.
The refrigerator is a great ally for preserving food, especially parsley. To store parsley in the refrigerator, simply place it in a container filled with water (submerging it completely) or in food bags; this will keep it for at least three days.
Storing Parsley in the Freezer: Jars and Individual Portions
If the refrigerator is one of our greatest allies when it comes to food preservation, the freezer is certainly our best friend. There are many ways to store parsley in the freezer for several months. The first and simplest way is to divide our parsley bunch into several mini bunches, then place them in different food bags.
The second method is to separate the leaves from the stems, place them in a jar, and then freeze them. Finally, the third method is to make ice cubes from water and parsley using the appropriate ice cube molds. In this case, we can use individual portions of parsley if necessary.
Furthermore, we can also blend the parsley to obtain a sort of ready-to-use minced meat that we can freeze in a special airtight container and use little by little.
Before freezing, parsley must be washed and, if you don’t choose the diced method, dried. Remember that parsley, like any other food, cannot be refrigerated once thawed and must be consumed!
Pickled Parsley in Oil
Foods can also be preserved very well in oil, and this of course applies to parsley as well. We can choose to pickle either a whole bunch of parsley or just the leaves in oil.
Before marinating parsley exclusively in extra virgin olive oil in an airtight jar, it must be washed and dried thoroughly. The bunch or leaves must be completely covered with oil to stay fresh for at least a month.
We recommend storing your parsley in oil in the refrigerator, not in the pantry, and not throwing away the oil it’s stored in. It’s actually an excellent seasoning and a naturally flavored oil that can also be used for other dishes like stir-fries.
Salted Parsley
Salt has been used as a food preservative since ancient times. It can also be marinated in salt, but make sure to use the correct ratio of the two ingredients.
To preserve salted parsley, first wash it, dry it thoroughly, and let it air dry for a few hours. Once the parsley is completely dry, place it in a jar with the salt, and the ratio should be 1 to 2: for every 50 grams of parsley, add 100 grams of salt.
Salted parsley should be stored in a cool, dry place and will keep for several months. When cooking, you should of course consider the flavor of the parsley, which, if desired, can be washed to remove excess salt before use.
Dried parsley
Another way to preserve parsley for a long time is to dry it. To dry this aromatic herb, first wash it, dry it thoroughly, and chop it finely.
Next, turn on the convection oven to the lowest setting and, in the meantime, place the chopped parsley on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for 3 to 4 hours. After drying, let the parsley cool and place it in an airtight container to store in the pantry.
Always Fresh Parsley: How to Care for the Plant
Keeping bunches of parsley is the best way to avoid unnecessary waste, but having it fresh and on hand at all times is certainly another story. Even if you don’t have a green thumb, you can try keeping a parsley plant at home so you can take a few leaves with you whenever you need them.
The parsley plant is indeed very resilient, and you can buy it already formed (but remember that parsley has deep roots, so it’s best to transplant it into a larger pot) or grow it by planting the seeds yourself.
In the latter case, keep in mind that after planting the seeds evenly in a large pot, it will take at least a month for them to germinate and about 80 days for the first leaves to be harvested.
Caring for parsley is very simple: water it daily and sparingly. The soil must always be moist (never let it dry out!), and at the same time, be careful not to overwater to avoid harmful waterlogging.
The parsley’s soil must be carefully weeded with a rake every two months and pruned every six months: a very small effort compared to the pleasure of enjoying your own personal parsley, always fresh and fragrant.
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