So much Citrus!
10 Wonderful Ways to Use New Zealand’s Citrus Bounty This Winter Winter in New Zealand brings with it a glorious…
Parsley at Vineyard Cottages: A Garden Favourite with Endless Uses
Tucked into the gardens at Vineyard Cottages in Waimauku, Auckland, parsley grows abundantly year-round, offering a fresh pop of green to our seasonal dishes and bringing a subtle but essential flavour to many of our favourite recipes. Though it’s often seen as a humble garnish, parsley is one of the most versatile and underrated herbs in the garden—and here at Vineyard Cottages, we treat it with the respect it deserves.
Whether you’re enjoying a glass of local wine and a cheese board in your private hot tub, or tucking into a homegrown meal at one of our seasonal events, chances are parsley has made its way onto your plate. It’s an essential part of our edible landscape, grown organically, harvested fresh, and used in everything from herb butters and green sauces to winter soups and summer salads.
Parsley thrives in the temperate climate of our region. With its rich, loamy soil, gentle rainfall, and mild winters, our garden provides an ideal setting for growing lush, vibrant parsley throughout the year.
We grow parsley in raised beds and large herb pots scattered around the gardens, including near the hot tub cottages, so guests can pick a sprig or two if the mood strikes. Our team sows seeds directly into the soil in early spring and again in early autumn, ensuring a continuous supply through the seasons. Parsley is a biennial, meaning it grows leaves in the first year and goes to seed in the second. However, we treat it as an annual in our kitchen garden—continually replanting to keep the crop fresh and leafy.
Watering is key: parsley likes moist, well-drained soil and doesn’t tolerate drying out. We mulch around the base with composted straw to retain moisture and suppress weeds, and we feed the plants with homemade compost tea every few weeks for a nutrient boost.
The great thing about parsley is that the more you pick, the more it grows. We harvest regularly by cutting the stems near the base, encouraging the plant to produce a steady supply of new shoots. It’s a satisfying plant to grow, especially when you step outside your kitchen and snip a bunch for a quick chimichurri or garnish.
There are two main types of parsley: flat-leaf (Italian) parsley and curly-leaf parsley, and we grow both at Vineyard Cottages. Each has its own personality, flavour, and best uses in the kitchen.
This is our go-to for cooking. Flat-leaf parsley has broader, smoother leaves and a deeper, more robust flavour compared to curly parsley. It’s the herb of choice in Mediterranean and Middle Eastern dishes and a staple in our kitchen for herb sauces, marinades, and as a fresh finish on roasted vegetables, grilled meats, and pasta.
Flat-leaf parsley is also the key ingredient in our house-made gremolata and salsa verde, which pair beautifully with local lamb or grilled mushrooms. It’s easier to chop than curly varieties and releases its flavour readily into oils, dressings, and stews.
Curly parsley often gets a bad rap as an outdated garnish, but we love it for what it is: vibrant, decorative, and wonderfully crisp. It’s milder in flavour, with a subtle grassy taste, and adds texture to dishes like tabbouleh, herbed butter, and potato salads.
At Vineyard Cottages, we use curly parsley in our seasonal herbed butters, which guests enjoy on freshly baked bread or melting over hot potatoes. It also makes a lovely addition to cheese boards, adding colour and a fresh herbal aroma.
We love fresh parsley, but we also preserve it to ensure we can enjoy its bright flavour even in the depths of winter. At Vineyard Cottages, we make parsley pesto, dry the leaves for seasoning mixes, and freeze chopped parsley in olive oil in ice cube trays for use in soups and risottos. It’s a little touch of green that brightens even the rainiest day.
Guests often comment on how much they enjoy the simple pleasures at Vineyard Cottages—like plucking a handful of fresh parsley from the garden while the barbecue sizzles nearby. It’s a little moment of connection with the land, a way of grounding yourself in nature, and something that makes our property feel like home.
Whether you’re a keen gardener, a passionate home cook, or just someone who appreciates the fresh, vibrant taste of real food, parsley is a herb that deserves pride of place. And here at Vineyard Cottages, we grow it with love, alongside all the other edible treasures that make our food experiences so memorable.
