Petroselium crispum

One of the most popular herbs available. There are two varieties - the curly-leaved and the flat-leaved. The curly variety is most often used for garnishing dishes. Its leaves are divided into small segments with the edges tighly curled. The plant varies in height from dwarf varieties which are suitable for growing on kitchen windowsills and in window boxes to varieties which can reach 2 ft in height. It prefers a sunny position and rich, moist soil.

Parsley is said to grow best when the woman of the house wears the trousers. This could be linked to the old country beliefs that a parsley bed was where babies were discovered, and that unmarried pregnant girls could solve their predicament by chewing parsley three times a day for a period of three weeks. Parsley has also been associated with death since the ancient Greeks dedicated it to funeral rites. It was their custom to scatter it on graves, weave it into crowns for victors in sporting games and feed it to chariot horses before races.

Medicinal: An old French remedy for swellings was to apply a poultice of pounded parsley and snails.
                   Chew parsley leave to sweeten the breath.

Legends: If parsley is scattered in fishponds, it is said to heal sick fish.