Saturday, November 26, 2011

Parsley in a Pot - Maree

"Parsley - the jewel of herbs, both in the pot and on the plate."
- Albert Stockli


W&N watercolour on Amedeo 200gsm mixed media paper - no preliminary sketching

Some Parsley in a small terracotta pot on a shelf in my bathroom garden.

Parsley is the world's most popular herb. Derived from the Greek word meaning "rock celery" (it's a relative to celery), parsley has been cultivated for 2,000 years, and was used medicinally long before that.

Parsley has many health benefits and has been used as a cure for many ailments. It contains more vitamin C than any other standard culinary vegetable, approximately three times as much as oranges and about the same as blackcurrants. The iron content is exceptional (twice as much as spinach) and the plant is a good source of manganese, calcium and potassium. It also contains flavonoids that act as antioxidants.

Parsley is also rich in vitamin A, well-known for its effects on vision, plus can mitigate risks of atherosclerosis and diabetes.

Raw parsley cleanses the blood, dissolves sticky deposits in veins, maintains elasticity of blood vessels, facilitates removal of moderately sized kidney and gallstones, treats deafness and ear infections, and benefits the sexual system. Chewing parsley prevents bad breath!
Parsley is also good as a topical remedy for bruises. Next time you have a bruise, crush up some parsley leaves and apply straight to the affected area.

Parsley is one of the most important herbs for providing vitamins to the body. It's like an immune-enhancing multi-vitamin and mineral complex in green plant form. It grows in most climates and is readily available throughout the year.

So next time you get some parsley on your plate, eat up!
Information from "Health Benefits of Parsley"

8 comments:

  1. I had no idea. I need to grow some on my kitchen shelf ASAP.

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  2. Great idea Chris! Besides it looking beautiful in your kitchen, it's right there for the picking!

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  3. All kinds of good information to go along with a great sketch .... It's hard to paint without sketching first!

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  4. Thanks Elva! I only sketch if I have to portray finer detail, like in animals, the rest of the time I just start with the colour!

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  5. What a fascinating post. I learned quite a few new things about parsley, and I'm really taken with this sketch. I'm amazed that you didn't sketch first and it is awesome how you have differentiated between the different shades of green. Very nice page!!

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  6. So glad you found the parsley info interesting Claire! and thank you for your kind comment about the sketch. Painting without sketching comes easy once you've done the first few - for the pot I sort of draw the outline lightly with the Burnt Umber and then fill in from there - the greenery just gets plonked on and then some contrast added.

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  7. Great sketch Maree! Now I'm thinking about some little red potatoes with parsley for dinner.

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  8. Thanks Paula! And what a great idea, I'll have some pasta with that, thank you!

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