Herbs
Dried ParsleyDrying Time, Storage and How to Use It
Parsley often gets left on the plate as a garnish, but it’s a vegetable in its own right, full of flavor.
A bunch is hard to use up, but dried and crumbled by hand, it becomes dried parsley just like the store-bought kind. It takes a while to dry completely, but once jarred, it keeps about 3 months at room temperature.
Like dried shiitake, it’s one of the dried vegetables we’d recommend for an emergency food stock.
| Drying time | Storage | |
|---|---|---|
| Dry | 4 days–1 week | 3 months at room temperature |
Drying times assume drying during the day in sunny weather and bringing them in at night.
How to dry parsley
- Wash: Swish it in a bowl of water to get the dirt out from between the curly leaves.
- Drain: Curly leaves hold water, so shake well, then wrap in paper towels to dry thoroughly. A salad spinner helps.
- Dry: Lay the sprigs on a basket without overlapping. To keep the color bright, avoid strong direct sun and dry it in a breezy spot in shade or part shade. Bring it in by evening.
- Crumble: Once completely crisp, strip the leaves from the stems and crumble them by hand.
Where and when to dry is covered in How to Dry Vegetables, and tools in Tools for Drying Vegetables.
When it’s done
Dry (4 days–1 week)
It’s done when it crumbles into small flakes when rubbed between your fingers. The center of each sprig and the base of the stems dry last, so check that no part is still moist.
Day by day
Before drying
Day 1
Day 2
Day 3
Day 4
Day 5
Day 6
Storage
- Room temperature: Put the crumbled parsley in a jar or bag with a desiccant, and keep somewhere cool and out of direct sun for about 3 months. Light fades the color, so a container that blocks light, or a cupboard, is best.
Moisture can lead to mold, so use a dry spoon. More in How to Store Dried Vegetables.
How to use it
- A sprinkle to finish: Soups, pasta, omelets, potato salad, pilaf.
- In breadcrumbs: Mix into the coating for fried foods or fish meunière for aroma and color.
- In butter and dressings: Mix into softened butter for parsley butter, or with olive oil and salt for a simple dressing.
There are recipes using dried parsley on the dried okra, dried carrot and dried rosemary pages.
