Parsley is a very versatile and hardy herb and can be a tremendous asset in your kitchen. For the less patient, parsley is also widely available at even the most basic grocery stores and is very inexpensive. Parsley can survive some snow and ice and generally only needs to be replanted every other week. About the only thing that parsley doesn't do well is dry, which makes most of the herb's flavor evaporate. However, freezing parsley is a great way to preserve its taste for future use.
Parsley acts as a diuretic and was used to treat fluid retention, including edema and obesity.
Today parsley has gained a reputation as a nutritional power house. By weight, it has one and a half times as much vitamin C as oranges and is also full of vitamin A, several B vitamins, iron and calcium. More recently, parsley has been added to mild vegetables and low-calories sauces and even deep fried. Below are a couple of recipes designed to get parsley off of your plate and into your diet. Serve this rustic tomato mixture over pasta or as part of an antipasto platter.