Chervil and how to grow it

Chervil: plant description

Chervel: photos

Chervil is an annual herb that belongs to the celery family. The leaves of this plant are openwork, resembling lace, and the inflorescences are formed in the form of an umbrella. The stems with peduncles are tall, the length of which depends on the variety and averages forty to sixty centimeters.

Humanity has been using chervil greens as a medicine and in cooking for three thousand years. Chervil grows in shaded areas with high humidity, so the largest thickets of this plant can be found in the southern regions on the forest borders.

Chervil greens have an unusual aroma - similar to anise, with subtle notes of parsley-fennel scent. The aroma is so subtle that it almost completely disappears when exposed to heat.

Presumably, the chervil came to us from the foothill forests of Western Asia and the Caucasus. Also, kupir greens are one of the most famous fragrant spices in the southern regions of Europe.

Chervil: useful properties and contraindications

Fragrant chervil: useful properties and contraindications in the video

Chervil is unique for its chemical properties. One hundred grams of freshly picked chervil contains: five grams of potassium and one and a half grams of calcium. Also, greens contain many other trace elements: zinc, magnesium, selenium, manganese, various vitamin groups, various essential oils and nutritious protein.

It is important to take into account that all the properties of chervil useful for the body are contained exclusively in fresh, dried or fermented form.

Due to its properties, Chervil greens can help with:

• Cardiovascular diseases;
• In the treatment and prevention of diabetes.

Most polar varieties

There are a great many varieties of chervil, we will name the most popular and briefly describe them:

• Chervil fragrant - this is a mid-season variety, flower stalks can reach a height of forty to sixty centimeters;
• Openwork chervil - stems are branched, can grow to a height of about forty-five to seventy centimeters;
• Diet chervil - undersized variety, it can grow only up to thirty-five centimeters;
• Izmailovsky Semko Kervel - this is an early-ripening variety (the green part of the chervil of this variety is obtained only thirty days after planting), the stems are tall;
• Caprice - miniature variety, stems about thirty to thirty-two centimeters high;

Characteristics of all listed varieties

All these varieties have these qualities in common:

• They have a pleasant, sophisticated aroma;
• Grow best in shady areas;
• Resistant to sudden changes in temperature;
• Highly decorative varieties;
• The process of growing chervil does not depend on the region.

There is a turnip or tuber variety of kupir grass. The thickened roots of this variety are dried and then used in cooking.

Instructions for self-growing chervil

Suitable soil and terrain

The soil is not of key importance for the seedlings of the cougar, but a highly nutritious soil with slightly alkaline or neutral acidity will contribute to a high-quality harvest.

It is better to choose a seedling site that is shaded for most of the day, illuminated only at sunrise or sunset.It is better to place the beds for the kupyr under the fruitful trees.

The best time for sowing

The beginning of the spring period is the ideal time for planting chervil seeds, but sowing in winter is also possible. For convenience, so that you can always pick fresh greens from the beds to the table, kupyr is planted using a conveyor method, planting chervil seeds with a period of ten to fifteen days (depending on varietal characteristics).

It is important to remember about the dislike of the birch seeds for the heat, so it is better to sow it before May in order to preserve all the beneficial properties.

Priming

To increase the fertility of chervil, sixty grams of phosphorus and twenty grams of potash fertilizers are required, as well as about three kilograms of dung per square meter. The resulting soil must be properly kneaded, dug up so that the soil is homogeneous. After sparse irrigation of the soil with water, dimples are made in it for seeds.

Preparation, processing and planting of seeds

Chervil seeds contain a large amount of essential oils, therefore, before sowing, it is necessary to carry out the following procedures: keep the seeds in a 1% solution of potassium permanganate for thirty minutes, and then keep the seeds in water until sprouts appear.

Sowing

As soon as the sprouts appear, they should be planted in dug holes to a depth of about one to two centimeters. The gap between the rows depends on the size of the variety planted, on average twenty to twenty-five centimeters.

Chervil care

• The sprouts with a height of about five centimeters must be thinned out, leaving a gap of twenty to twenty-five centimeters between them.
• It is necessary to carefully monitor the beds for the first half a month so that the weeds do not destroy the sowing.
• Since the plant loves moisture, it should be watered often, but not excessively. From an excess of moisture, chervil gets sick
• The soil under the kupyr must be constantly weeded, especially after watering, so that an earthen crust does not form
• Chervil needs additional fertilizers. The ingredients added to the soil base are sufficient for a quality harvest.

Harvesting chervil seeds

You can get your own coupir seeds from the plant two months after planting. By this time, the chervil is fully ripe, and the seeds of the chervil will be the freshest.

Harvesting, storing chervil

So that chervil greens do not lose all their beneficial properties, they are harvested before flowering. The hardened leaves have much less nutrients than fresh ones.

After cutting the greens, the chervil does not grow well again. Therefore, after harvesting, cutting the birch at the root, you need to rewind the beds.

It is necessary to store chervil in a cool place, in the refrigerator or in the cellar. It is advisable to put greens in a container with water, for greater safety. To prepare greens for future use, you need to freeze or salt them.

It is noteworthy that in certain regions of the Caucasus, not only chervil leaves are used for food, but also its stems.

Couper stems, cleaned of the hardened outer layer, help well with constipation, including chronic constipation. Regular consumption of chervil helps with the restoration of intestinal microflora, improves immunity.

Chervil grass tubers, like carrots or beets, survive the winter well if stored in cold places, in a freezer or in a cellar.

Chervel: photos