I’m at my farmers’ market every Saturday and I really have to pay attention that I don’t over buy fruits and vegetables because they are so beautiful and look so darn good. It’s easy to buy 2 potatoes or 1/2 pound of green beans, but I often get completely carried away when it comes to fresh peaches or corn that was picked just hours before the market opens. I realized early in the season that I threw out most of a bunch of parsley almost every week and knew there had to be some way to keep it fresh longer than a few days. I experimented a little bit and found a dandy way to make it last for weeks. I bought this bunch of parsley at the farmer’s market on Saturday, August 20, and it is still as fresh and as ready to use as it was the day I bought it. That’s over 2 weeks ago! No slimy stuff or shriveled up leaves need to be tossed here. Doesn’t it look like I just bought it!!!!
To successfully store parsley leave the band on and wash it well as soon as you get it home, let most of the water drain off, wrap it in paper towels and refrigerate for several hours. When parsley is chilled and some of the moisture has been absorbed by the paper towels trim off about an inch of the stems, place in a small jar of cold water and refrigerate on a lower shelf in the fridge. Change the water every other day and if the leaves should start to droop trim off another 1/2 inch of stem. I’ve trimmed the stems twice in the past 2 weeks. Its very important to keep clean fresh water in the jar. Even after 2 weeks the stems absorb most of the water. Curly parsley doesn’t stay as fresh and cilantro doesn’t respond to this treatment more than several days. But for hearty Italian parsley it works great. Now I never have to toss out one of my favorite herbs. I bet this bunch will stay fresh for another week.
Heirloom Tomatoes
Aren’t they beautiful!
I’m an easy going soul and don’t get bent out of shape over too many things, BUT it drives me crazy when people bring their dogs into the market despite the very clearly written notices at each entrance. When the market staff asks them to take their pet out of the market they act surprised that the signs apply to them. Somehow they interpret this sign as saying “NO PETS PLEASE…EXCEPT YOURS.”
And WHY do people smoke at a farmers’ market? That’s a hanging offense.
OK, enough for today.
I can vouch for the way you’re storing parsley! The only other thing I do is loosely place a sandwich bag over the top, but maybe I don’t need to do that after all!
Happy Labor Day Cathy:@)
LOVE this! that’s so good to know about the parsely, I’ve always washed and rolled up in paper towels but stopped there! Thanks so much for the info:)
I quite agree that the Farmer’s Market is no place for a smoke!
Mary x
Thanks for the great tip, Cathy, and I agree about the sign and smoking. Takes all kind, I guess. xo,
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Nice tip, Cathy. I really need to try this.
Those heirlooms are gorgeous!
I usually rinse my parsley and wrap it in a Scot towel and put it in a plastic bag. I’ve never put it in water….will try that!
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I get carried away at the markets as well 🙂 Great tips on storing parsley! Hope you have a Very Happy Labor Day 🙂
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Those Heirloom Tomatoes are beautiful!. Happy to hear i ma not the only one who gets carried away at the market; everything is fresh and tempting. Great tip to preserve the parsley.
Rita
Good tip for the parsley, and very timely, as I have a lot of parsley left over from this evening’s parsley sauce for the potatoes.
Great parsley tip Cathy. I will definitely give it a try. I don’t know why people think signs only apply to other people. Go figure. I can’t stand the smoke either…
I’m envious of those beautiful tomatoes. They are almost gone here. We got several at the market on Saturday. I don’t want summer to end, especially the tomatoes.
Sam
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That is exactly how I store parsley.Nice spotting of teh Pet sign.I also find that smoke is diverting the smells market has to offer
I so agree! I was in TJ Maxx and someone brought a dog in. She dropped the leash, the dog took off, bit a child on the leg and pooped all over the floor.
They sell food there too, so it against the law.
What is wrong with people?
One blogger recently posted a pic of a rest stop with a sign ” no dogs in this area ” and an arrow pointing to the dog area. Yep, there sat two dopes at the table with the dog!
Great tip on the parsley!
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What gorgeous photos! Thank you for sharing the tips on how to keep the parley fresh!
Angie@Angiesrecipes recently posted..Homemade Muesli Bars
Such pretty produce!!
Hey, great advice! I never seem to have enough fresh herbs in my garden, and have thrown away probably hundreds of $$ worth over the years …
My biggest problem with farmer’s markets is buying bulk – usually because it’s so cheap! One day I’ll learn that throwing half of it away just doesn’t make the cheap price that much of a bargain!!
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Beautiful photos, Cathy. So vibrant!
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Glad you mentioned that this doesn’t work for cilantro…I have a bunch in the frig and was going to try it, but alas, I guess I won’t!! Thanks for the tips!
Beautiful photos Cathy and thanks for the tip too……we used to keep parsley that way in the restaurant I used to run in Cyprus, it is a great tip and works as you know!
Another lovely post full of colour and tasty ingredients.,
Karen
Karen @ Lavender and Lovage recently posted..An Old Biscuit Tin, Random Bakes of Kindness and Tea~Time Rock Cakes
The parsley pic is great!
Cathy I agree.. If there are signs..:) Abide.
No matter what the sign is for.
I’d love a walk-in pantry fridge:)
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Thanks for the parsley tip – will definitely try it.
Those heirloom tomato photos are making me crave them. Great farmer’s market you have.
ciaochowlinda recently posted..Chicago Chow-Down
GREAT TIp… same for Cilantro also??? those are the two i throw out after only using half (although usually i just toss it in a stock).
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great tips, fresh parsley is one of my favorite herbs, it’s nice to know how to make it last longer.
the tomatoes are just gorgeous! i LOVE heirlooms. and completely agree with the pets and smoking, sheesh people!
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Great tip, Cathy! I bought one of those herb keepers, and it does work. Basically, it’s like a glass of water, but has a dome that fits on top. I tried growing cilantro, but it goes to seed to quickly. Sometimes, just put a plastic bag over my herbs, and that works well, too. who can resist the gorgeous colors of farmer’s markets? It’s a food photographer’s paradise.
As for the dogs. I know what you mean. Sometimes humans forget that, while their dogs are family members, they aren’t humans.
This is how I store parsley. It also works great for asparagus! Oh, those tomatoes… I’d have to go home with tons of them!
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Thanks for the tip.
OMG, those tomatoes…I’d go crazy. And we grow our own!
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