Content

• Steps
• What you need

Parsley is fairly easy to grow and harvest, but to have a satisfying and flavorful season, there are a few points to keep in mind. You will pick the parsley leaves in the first lie, and usually be able to harvest the parsley seeds in the second year.

Steps

Part 1 of 2: Harvest parsley leaves

1. 

   Choose saplings to pick. Young parsley is usually more aromatic. You can harvest parsley even after the first year is over, but if you choose to pick the leaves during the first year of your plant's growth, you will have the best and highest quality crop.

2. 

   
   
   Wait until the petiole has 3 segments. Examine the petiole. If the petiole has 3 or more clusters of leaves, the vegetables can be harvested. You should leave the stalks with only one or two segments.
   • Parsley can usually be harvested 70-90 days after being planted.

3. 

   Cut the parsley leaves at the base of the plant. When you are harvesting an entire branch of leaves or a cluster of parsley, cut at the base of the plant instead of at the top.
   • Cutting the vegetables near the base of the plant will stimulate the plant to produce more branches, and the parsley will grow more prosperous with a better crop.

4. 

   
   
   Cut the parsley leaves on the outer ring. If you're only planning on picking a few stalks of parsley for immediate use, cut off the outer ring instead of the inner one.
   • Even if you're going to cut a few stalks at the base of the plant, cut the outer ring. The inner part of the tree will continue to grow.
   • Cut the leaves from the outside to ensure that the oldest branches are harvested first without yellowing or aging on the tree.
   • Harvesting old branches will also help the plant concentrate its nutrients to sprout and nurture new branches, so the tree will grow healthier.

5. 

   
   
   Harvest continuously. The parsley will continue to grow throughout the season, even after you've picked the leaves. This way you will have a steady supply of herbs and you won't need to harvest them all at once.
   • Outdoor parsley plants are evergreen until late fall or early winter. When the leaves start to fade, the flavor of the vegetables will also decrease significantly. However, from now until then, you can continue to harvest steadily without losing the aroma of the vegetables and harming the plant.

6. 

   Pick a lot of vegetables at the end of the season. The parsley plant will die in winter if you grow the parsley outdoors and without protection. Before this happens, harvest the rest of the leaves to give the plant a chance to grow again next year.
   • Parsley will survive winter if grown in a warm indoor place. Make sure your plants get plenty of daily sunlight by placing the pot near a sunny window.
   • If you are growing parsley indoors, you don't need to harvest your last crop before winter comes. Instead, keep picking vegetables "as needed".

7. 

   Use fresh parsley as you like. Parsley is best used when fresh. You can also store the parsley for months if needed, but the flavor will not be as strong once dried.
   • If you pick vegetables a little at a time, you should use them right away. If you have leftover vegetables after cooking, you can wrap them in a damp paper towel and keep them in the refrigerator for 2 days.
   • If you want to pick several vegetables at the same time, you can soak the whole parsley in water and store it in the refrigerator for up to 7 days.

8. 

   Store parsley in the freezer for longer use. The method of freezing parsley will help you keep the whole stalks for later use. When thawed, frozen parsley can be eaten as fresh.
   • There are many ways to freeze parsley, but one of the easiest is to chop parsley leaves and place them in an ice cube tray. Fill the tray with water and freeze as usual. When you need to use it, you can take each of the ice cubes with parsley inside out, thaw, decant the water and season it into the dish. Note that frozen parsley retains its flavor but loses its crunch.

9. 

   Dry the parsley for easy use. The drying method helps to preserve vegetables easily and use as you like. You can dry parsley by hanging it upside down in a warm, well-ventilated, dark place indoors. Parsley will dry for a week or two, then crush it and store it in a sealed container or bag.
   • Another way to dry parsley is to use a food dryer.
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Part 2 of 2: Harvest parsley seeds

1. 

   Wait for the second year. Parsley will not produce seeds during the first year. If you plan to harvest parsley seeds, you will need to monitor the plants for the second year after planting.
   • Parsley is a two-year plant. Usually, parsley plants only live for two years, and they will bloom and produce seeds before they die.
   • For the best harvest season, you should remove weak or defective plants at the end of the first season. Thus, the healthiest plants can pollinate each other and produce the best seeds.
   • When you are harvesting and storing parsley seeds, try to separate early and late season ripe seeds. Priority is given to harvesting the seeds at the beginning of the season over the seeds at the end of the season.

2. 

   Harvest when the parsley seeds turn dark. To fully harvest the parsley seeds, you should wait until the old seeds turn dark brown. Parsley seeds can sprout if you harvest them earlier.
   • Parsley seeds go through three stages. As soon as the flower dies, parsley seeds will form with a light green or light green color. The seeds will turn skin color during the second stage and turn brown or dark brown in the final stage.

3. 

   Cut out the seed clusters. Harvest parsley seeds by cutting just below the seed clusters. Use your index finger and thumb below the seed cluster and cut just below the finger.
   • Carefully remove the seed clusters. Try to refrain from shaking particles during manipulation. If shaken while cutting, the seeds can be scattered all over the place. Parsley seeds are quite small, so you will lose any drops.

4. 

   Shake. Shake the seed clusters in a paper bag to quickly and easily remove the majority of ripe seeds.
   • You can also gently shake or knock the seeds to fall off a cloth or plastic film.
   • Be gentle when shaking or removing the seeds. If you put too much pressure on your hand, the parsley seeds might pop out and splash.

5. 

   Hang the remaining seeds. If there are some young seeds still in the seed cluster, you can wait for the seeds to ripen by leaving the clusters in the sun for a few days.
   • To ripen the remaining parsley seeds, sprinkle the parsley stalks on a piece of nylon or fabric and place in a sunny place indoors. Spread the branches into a thin layer while drying.
   • The remaining seeds will ripen in 2 days.
   • Dry the seeds indoors. If you leave the parsley seeds outside, birds or other animals can be taken away before you can put them away.

6. 

   Consider pitting each seed individually. If there are some seeds in the cluster that ripen much faster than others, you can pluck out each seed with your finger.
   • Parsley plants tend to ripen unevenly. Some seeds may pre-ripen up to 3 weeks before others, even if they grow on the same plant.
   • Be careful when removing the seeds. Branches can be bounced back under the force of the force exerted when you unscramble individual seeds, and if there are too many ripe seeds on the tree, they may come apart and fly away. Therefore, you should only remove each seed separately if most of the seeds are not fully ripe enough to harvest the whole cluster.

7. 

   Dry the seeds. Parsley seeds need to be dried for 10-14 days before storing them for use.
   • To dry the seeds, spread the seeds in a layer on a shallow baking tray, place in a warm and dry place.
   • Stir and mix the seeds daily to allow them to dry evenly.
   • Seeds must be completely dry before storing.
   • Store the dried seeds in a sealed plastic bag or sealed container in a cool, dry, dark place until sowing.
   • You can use the seeds to grow parsley for next season! Don't eat nuts.
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What you need

Harvest the parsley leaves

• Kitchen scissors
• Paper towels (optional)
• Water plate (optional)
• Ice cube tray (optional)
• Braided rope (optional)
• Plastic bag or sealed box (optional)

Harvest the parsley seeds

• Kitchen scissors
• Paper bags, plastic film or tight woven fabric
• The baking tray is shallow
• Plastic bag or sealed box (optional)