If you’re looking for a way to preserve parsley without freezing it, follow my example: it stays fresh as if you just bought it.
If you have leftover parsley and want to store it without resorting to the freezer, I’ll tell you an infallible method that I use myself. Here’s what you need to do to always have fresh parsley as if you had just bought it.
Save the parsley
Parsley is one of the most widespread aromatic plants in the world and in Italy its use is really enormous. This plant has a slender stem and green leaves with serrated edges and is available in several varieties. What can be found in every Italian household and supermarket is the so-called “ordinary parsley”, but there is also curly parsley with serrated leaves and a less pungent taste (this type of parsley is mainly used for decoration).
Parsley is not only very good and tasty, it is also an excellent antioxidant and has digestive antiseptic properties. Finally, it is also easy to grow, as it is a slow-germinating plant that is perfect for a pot that adapts to any soil. In short, the arguments in favor of parsley seem endless, but this plant faces an important difficulty: its preservation.
In fact, parsley spoils quickly if not stored properly, as it is a very delicate food. It is convenient to always have a lot available in the kitchen, but for this you have to know the best way to store it and the best solution is not the freezer.
Best Methods
When you freeze parsley, you’ll have to wait for it to thaw before you can use it, and you don’t always have time. So I experimented with two preservation methods that don’t require freezing. In the first case, I use the refrigerator: I wrap the parsley stalks in moist and absorbent kitchen paper and put them in a container with a tight-fitting lid, which I then place in the refrigerator. Remember that paper towels should be changed from time to time. The second method does not require a refrigerator and allows you to keep the parsley fresh for more than a week.
In practice, I poured the bouquet of parsley I bought at the supermarket into a jar and dipped the stems in water as if it were a bouquet of flowers. This method allows you to store parsley without a freezer or refrigerator, and the parsley will stay fresh for up to a week after purchase. However, if I plan to use the parsley long after the date of purchase, or if I bought it in bulk, the freezer is the only option!
