Hi All,

My second year Italian Parsley looks really weird.
Others of my customers, that actually know what they
are doing, showed me theirs, and it looks the same:
big stems, small leaves, flowers (if you can call them
that) at the top.

Questions:

1) what parts do you eat, just the small leaves?

2) what do you cut? The stem all the way to the ground?

Many thanks,
-T

Todd wrote:
Hi All,

My second year Italian Parsley looks really weird.
Others of my customers, that actually know what they
are doing, showed me theirs, and it looks the same:
big stems, small leaves, flowers (if you can call them
that) at the top.

Questions:

1) what parts do you eat, just the small leaves?

2) what do you cut? The stem all the way to the ground?

Many thanks,
-T

It is preparing to die, there is nothing you can do about it, there is no
reason to cut anything other than to eat. Or dig out the whole plant and
make way for something else. All the leaves are still edible. I tend to
use the larger leaves rather than the feathery little ones but that is just
preference. Plant more soon if you want parsley and for an assured supply
in future plant at least yearly.

D

On 24/05/2014 8:08 AM, David Hare-Scott wrote:
Todd wrote:
Hi All,

My second year Italian Parsley looks really weird.
Others of my customers, that actually know what they
are doing, showed me theirs, and it looks the same:
big stems, small leaves, flowers (if you can call them
that) at the top.

Pendant alert. It should be 'customers who' not 'customers that'. The
only time it should be 'customers that' would be if the customers were
not live humans.

I'm being a pedant because I've recently noticed that this way of
writing is common amongst USians and the likely outcome of that will be
that it will escape from the US so it will soon hit our shores. That
will cause me and others severe irritation and distress.

Questions:

1) what parts do you eat, just the small leaves?

You can still eat any of it. The purpose for which it would be used (or
at least used by anyone who can, and does, cook) would vary. The leaves
can still be be used in dishes, as a garnish or sprinkled on the top of
soups or used in trbbouli etc (ie a prime use) whilst the stalks and the
flower head would be used in stock pots, stews or casseroles. It's past
it's prime but still useful in many ways but best for seed saving.

2) what do you cut? The stem all the way to the ground?

I'd suggest leaving it to go to seed if you can afford to let it occupy
the space for that long. I do that with all my Italian parsley and then
I drop the seeds all round the garden so that I'm never without several
parsley patches because I do this routinely.

Todd wrote:
On 05/23/2014 03:08 PM, David Hare-Scott wrote:
Todd wrote:
Hi All,

My second year Italian Parsley looks really weird.
Others of my customers, that actually know what they
are doing, showed me theirs, and it looks the same:
big stems, small leaves, flowers (if you can call them
that) at the top.

Questions:

1) what parts do you eat, just the small leaves?

2) what do you cut? The stem all the way to the ground?

Many thanks,
-T

It is preparing to die, there is nothing you can do about it, there
is no reason to cut anything other than to eat. Or dig out the whole
plant and make way for something else. All the leaves are still
edible. I tend to use the larger leaves rather than the feathery
little ones but that is just preference. Plant more soon if you
want parsley and for an assured supply in future plant at least
yearly.

D

Hi David,

Thank you!

Is that what they call "Bolting"?


Yup. Look up biennial, which is what it is.

D

On 24/05/2014 9:35 AM, Todd wrote:
On 05/23/2014 03:08 PM, David Hare-Scott wrote:
Todd wrote:
Hi All,

My second year Italian Parsley looks really weird.
Others of my customers, that actually know what they
are doing, showed me theirs, and it looks the same:
big stems, small leaves, flowers (if you can call them
that) at the top.

Questions:

1) what parts do you eat, just the small leaves?

2) what do you cut? The stem all the way to the ground?

Many thanks,
-T

It is preparing to die, there is nothing you can do about it, there is
no reason to cut anything other than to eat. Or dig out the whole plant
and make way for something else. All the leaves are still edible. I
tend to use the larger leaves rather than the feathery little ones but
that is just preference. Plant more soon if you want parsley and for an
assured supply in future plant at least yearly.

D

Hi David,

Thank you!

Is that what they call "Bolting"?

No. I'm sure some people would say that your parsley was bolting but
bolting is a term that applies to premature flowering and setting of
seed. Your parsley is doing what a mature parsley plant should be doing.

Bolting can be caused by a number of things but often unseasonable
weather or planting outside normal planting time will bring on bolting.
A common example of bolting would be lettuces where the onset of
sudden unseasonable hot weather will cause then to send up a flower spike.

On 5/23/2014 5:11 PM, Fran Farmer wrote:

Pendant alert. It should be 'customers who' not 'customers that'. The
only time it should be 'customers that' would be if the customers were
not live humans.

You must have meant "Pedant alert."

pendant
  pend·ant [pen-duhnt]
noun Also, pendent.
1. a hanging ornament, as an earring or the main piece suspended from a
necklace.
2. an ornament suspended from a roof, vault, or ceiling.
3. a hanging electrical lighting fixture; chandelier.
4. that by which something is suspended, as the ringed stem of a watch.



--
David E. Ross
Climate: California Mediterranean, see
http://www.rossde.com/garden/climate.html
Gardening diary at http://www.rossde.com/garden/diary

David E. Ross wrote:
On 5/23/2014 5:11 PM, Fran Farmer wrote:

Pendant alert. It should be 'customers who' not 'customers that'.
The only time it should be 'customers that' would be if the
customers were not live humans.

You must have meant "Pedant alert."


Oh it depends what is hanging off it.....

D

Todd wrote:

My second year Italian Parsley looks really weird.

Parsley is a biennial. Its 2nd year growth usually looks different
and doesn't taste as good (generally somewhat bitter). You'd do
better planting new seed each year, or follow the directions here for
how to harvest seed:
http://www.howtogardenadvice.com/pla...w_parsley.html
I grow curly leaf parsley, I think it tastes better than flat leaf,
it's sweeter... eaten raw I prefer the curly leaves, in cooking I use
the curly leaf stems. If you want to grow parsley for its roots then
leave the best of your 2nd year plants and plant new parsley
elsewhere... if you allow parsley to reseed in place that's very
sloppy gardening as you'll not know which are new and which are 2nd
year plants... farmers rotate their parsley crop to a different field
each year.

On 24/05/2014 1:09 PM, Todd wrote:
On 05/23/2014 05:19 PM, Fran Farmer wrote:
On 24/05/2014 9:35 AM, Todd wrote:
On 05/23/2014 03:08 PM, David Hare-Scott wrote:
Todd wrote:
Hi All,

My second year Italian Parsley looks really weird.
Others of my customers, that actually know what they
are doing, showed me theirs, and it looks the same:
big stems, small leaves, flowers (if you can call them
that) at the top.

Questions:

1) what parts do you eat, just the small leaves?

2) what do you cut? The stem all the way to the ground?

Many thanks,
-T

It is preparing to die, there is nothing you can do about it, there is
no reason to cut anything other than to eat. Or dig out the whole plant
and make way for something else. All the leaves are still edible. I
tend to use the larger leaves rather than the feathery little ones but
that is just preference. Plant more soon if you want parsley and
for an
assured supply in future plant at least yearly.

D

Hi David,

Thank you!

Is that what they call "Bolting"?

No. I'm sure some people would say that your parsley was bolting but
bolting is a term that applies to premature flowering and setting of
seed. Your parsley is doing what a mature parsley plant should be doing.

Bolting can be caused by a number of things but often unseasonable
weather or planting outside normal planting time will bring on bolting.
A common example of bolting would be lettuces where the onset of
sudden unseasonable hot weather will cause then to send up a flower
spike.


Hi David,

I have a "Black Thumb". The only thing I can successfully
grow are dandelions. I appreciate you sharing.

Well don't fail to find the usefulness of dandelions. True dandelions
(as opposed to flatweeds that have a flower more than a single flower
head) can be used in a weed pie which is truly delicious and the French
actually grow 'improved' varieties for culinary purposes. Additionally
one of the most delightful gardes I ever seen was a 5 acre plot with a
meadow of dandelions with paths mown through the dandelions going to
various sitting arbours.

On 25/05/2014 5:19 AM, Todd wrote:

I took a close look at them yesterday. The leaves are really
tiny. I think I will go with your recommendation and just
pull them out. And, a packet of parsley seeds in around
$1.50 or less.

The cost of seed is irrelevant when considering reasons to save seed.
Seed saved in your own garden will be acclimatised to your specific
locality and not where the seed company grows their seed. It's about
increased resilience of YUOR garden crops and increased self reliance.
Or so I believe.

On 24/05/2014 10:46 AM, Todd wrote:
On 05/23/2014 05:11 PM, Fran Farmer wrote:
Pendant alert. It should be 'customers who' not 'customers that'. The
only time it should be 'customers that' would be if the customers were
not live humans.

Hmmm. Live customers. An interesting concept.

Indeed it is. :-))

Given my observation of shoppers who seldom appear to have many
functioning neurons, Robotic customers might be worth considering as an
option.

On 24/05/2014 10:48 AM, David E. Ross wrote:
On 5/23/2014 5:11 PM, Fran Farmer wrote:

Pendant alert. It should be 'customers who' not 'customers that'. The
only time it should be 'customers that' would be if the customers were
not live humans.

You must have meant "Pedant alert."

Of course you are quite right, fellow Pedant.

On 26/05/2014 2:09 PM, Todd wrote:
On 05/25/2014 04:46 PM, Fran Farmer wrote:
On 25/05/2014 5:19 AM, Todd wrote:

I took a close look at them yesterday. The leaves are really
tiny. I think I will go with your recommendation and just
pull them out. And, a packet of parsley seeds in around
$1.50 or less.

The cost of seed is irrelevant when considering reasons to save seed.
Seed saved in your own garden will be acclimatised to your specific
locality and not where the seed company grows their seed. It's about
increased resilience of YUOR garden crops and increased self reliance.
Or so I believe.


Hi Fran,

Not sure how, genetically speaking, how collecting seeds
would make them better for my area.

They adapt as they go through the cycle of sprouting, living, setting
seed, dieing. Good old basic science of natural selection.

But, definitely is more
self reliant. Kind of fun too. I have been collecting
my own Hollyhock seeds for years. A few times I have
seen pretty Hocks and asked the owners if I could pinch
a few seeds pods. I have some of the most beautiful
flowers.

Thank you for teaching me. I have such a black thumb!

Nah. If you can grow anything at all you are just like the rest of us -
you are in the learning phase. That goes on till you die (or it should)

On 26/05/2014 2:19 PM, Todd wrote:
On 05/25/2014 04:42 PM, Fran Farmer wrote:
On 24/05/2014 1:09 PM, Todd wrote:


I have a "Black Thumb". The only thing I can successfully
grow are dandelions. I appreciate you sharing.

Well don't fail to find the usefulness of dandelions. True dandelions
(as opposed to flatweeds that have a flower more than a single flower
head) can be used in a weed pie which is truly delicious and the French
actually grow 'improved' varieties for culinary purposes. Additionally
one of the most delightful gardes I ever seen was a 5 acre plot with a
meadow of dandelions with paths mown through the dandelions going to
various sitting arbours.


Hi Fran,

EAT THE WEED! Sorry, I will get myself under control. I use
to kill Purslain until I found out it was food. It grows wild
around here. Now the poor dears get pampered.

I remember from my college days and Economic Botany, a weed
is not what you think it is:

Weeds:

1) agriculture discard. (Once grown for food.)

2) small seeds or seeds that mask themselves as other seeds

3) grows on disturbed soil

Have you ever noticed that Dandelions only grow where you walk?

Can't say that I have. The best dandelions I have are in my rose garden
but I don't walk in there.

This is why. Our local cow pasture break out in a lovely
yellow every spring (cows hooves).

We breed cows and we don't seem to have any dandelions in our pastures.
Perhaps the cows choose to eat them first or perhaps our climate is
not moist enough for any dandelions to germinate.

So the solution to weeds is to eat them! Purslain is really hard
to kill. Lots of really tiny seeds and loves where I walk and
my garden (I turn the soil over every sprint to kill all the
grass in it, which "disturbs" the soil much to mu Purslain's
delight).

Some advocates say that Purslain is the most nutritious
plant on the planet. Tastes like watercress. I use
it in salads, on burgers, or just for munchies. Love
it with my Paleo ranch dressing.

Thank you for the mentoring. My thumb is still black,
BUT AT LEAST I CAN GROW WEEDS!

I've always liked the following definition for weed: "a plant growing in
the wrong place".

Another thought bubble on weeds - often weeds were once much used in
domestic work to dye wool and other fibres. Also some were used to line
shoes or to make 'candle' tapers (verbascum), or maybe even some could
have been used to to tan skins??? I don't know about the latter thought
bubble but I do know about the dye plants used for fibre.

On 05/26/2014 07:32 PM, Fran Farmer wrote:
We breed cows and we don't seem to have any dandelions in our pastures.
Perhaps the cows choose to eat them first or perhaps our climate is
not moist enough for any dandelions to germinate.

Hi Fran,

Oh yes. Let the cows in and the Dandelions will disappear
as if by magic! Do you do the pasture rotation thing?
Grass -- Cows -- Sheep -- Turkeys -- Chickens -- Grass?
Watched a documentary on that. Absolutely fascinating
science behind it. You are actually raising grass and
not cows!

Do you do Cow-Calf? Or do you raise them for eatin'?

Thank you for teaching me!

-T