Pretty Parsley

The first harvest of the season - put up, that is…parsley.  I cannot count the short row of radishes that Glenn relished ala carte, the 30 pods of sugar snap peas that I sautéed in butter and enjoyed  with brown rice, or the leaf lettuce we add to our salads when we remember we have plenty to gather from the garden.  And, I will only quickly mention the bare ground peppered with weeds where Glenn had planted rows of sweet corn. And, none grew. Yikes!

 

To date, the garden has not been a real success.

 

But, I did check on my lone parsley plant yesterday and discovered lush, compared to past years, growth.  It was thick, leafy, and healthy. And, extremely green!

Take a whiff...can you smell the  aroma?

 

Immediately, I clipped much of the plant leaving enough, hopefully, to continue to produce more throughout the summer.  Oh, the aroma - so sweet, so flavorful and evoking memories of my childhood.  My Grandmother used a lot of parsley, that she grew in her tiny garden, mainly to flavor her homemade soups.  Her kitchen, which was directly above ours, was frequently infused with the fresh parsley bouquet.  Happiness and simple times lovingly comes to my mind when I smell fresh parsley.

 

I snapped off the leaves from the stems, gave them a good rinse and placed them into the dehydrator.  In short order, a few hours later, the leaves were dry.  I crumbled them and rubbed them through a wire-mesh sieve.



Even the color says 'fresh'!

Still so green, and still so fragrant.

 

Voila. Fresh, natural, dried parsley to add to home-cooked meals.

 

Now, all I have to do is take the time to cook…maybe lasagna or beef stew.  Either dish would season nicely with the parsley and either one also utilizes our delicious home-raised meats.

 

Hmmm...maybe I should just leave the packet of pretty parsley out on the kitchen counter to reminder me, an incentive of sorts, to cook a nice dinner.  Or, I can just place it the cupboard with my collection of other spices and herbs rarely to be seen again.

 

No…this time it stays on the counter.  Just enjoying the color is worth my efforts.  And, if I use it to make dinner…an added bonus!