Food dehydrator is best.

FataMorgana

I have the best luck with snipping the leaf from the stem (freeze those for stock) and air drying on a plate or paper towel. But I also live in a very dry climate. Parsley will yellow if it's not dried fast enough.

Fata, I wish I had one.

A friend used to dry in a convection oven on the lowest setting with the door cracked open. Food dehydrator would be more energy efficient and I would suggest the investment if you will do lots of drying of botanicals. Parsley is one of the herbs I cannot air dry here. Chives are another. Too damp and moist in my location.

FataMorgana

Be aware that parsley is not great once dried, or cooked, unlike many of the tougher leaved herbs like rosemary or thyme. Personally I don't bother but just appreciate it when it's in season and then only use it fresh and raw.

Flora, I use dried Parsley when I don't have any fresh. It must add some kind of flavoring.

It does have some flavor when dried properly. If it doesn't dry fast enough, it takes on more of a bitter flavor. All dried herbs have a slightly different flavor profile than fresh--some more than most. Parsley does lose the bright almost citrusy flavor, but still can impart a basic herb flavor as a background note. Most supermarket parsley is pretty weak due to age and storage conditions prior to purchase, but dried parsley from a good herb/spice company can be quite good, as can well dried homegrown. That which I have purchased from Mountain Rose or my local shop, Savory Spice has had a great color, scent, and reasonable flavor. I would try drying a bit, or stick it in the freezer. Frozen parsley is really great to have for soups and stocks, especially the stems.

When I started drying herbs, my girls were 1 & 2. The first time one of them tipped a pan containing nearly a gallon of chopped chives that I had spent hours on sorting, washing, and chopping was tough. I began to dry my herbs in very fine mesh lingerie bags (reserved for that use--I really don't want to smell like drying chives) with a zipper, so that if the girls knocked them from their shelf, they wouldn't spill and waste my effort. Target has some good cheap ones. I place them on a wire rack shelf, and can shake them or flip them as needed to prevent clumping. I can put a fan underneath if I want to. May be worth a try in more humid climes?

Another option may be the microwave, if that doesn't bother you. I half dry my tarragon that way to keep it nice and green. Layer the leaves (stems will take too long) between paper towels. I start with one min, then let them cool, then 30 sec bursts at half power until partially dry. They then finish on the counter, but it pulls a lot of the initial moisture.

Microwaving sounds good. I always used the stems when I had it fresh from the garden.

I use a dehydrator.

But if you don't have one, you can always go the Alton Brown route. Take a couple spanking brand new fine furnace filters- the solid white hepa style ones, not fiber glass ones... a box fan, and a couple bungee cords.

Layer in what you want to dry (in this case parsley) into the dips of the filters, strap to the box fan with bungee cords- do this horizontally, not vertically- and set up the fan on a couple chair seats or tables or saw horses or whatever so that the fan is drawing in air from the bottom, and blowing it through the filters stacked on top of it. Run fan till your herbs are dry.

That's an interesting method.

Yeah, AB did it to make beef jerky, but blowing air like that can take care of pretty much anything if it can make beef jerky. There's a video on youtube on how he does it, but I wasn't sure about imbedding it here.

I always dry mine at the end of the season and I think it is great to cook with as long as you add it in the last minute or two.

What I do is place it in a shallow cardboard box and place it in my automobile on the back window. Leave one window rolled down about one inch to let moisture out.

Where I live in the south in two days it crumbles like fall leaves!

Thanks, Gregory. That's a cheap way to dry it.

Drying Parsley is an excellent way to preserve them once they have stopped growing for the season. Dried parsley can add an extra sizzle to your dish in terms of color and flavor.

An Easy Method to Drying Parsley in the Oven:
1. Wash fresh parsley in cold water.
2. Place brown paper across a baking sheet.
3. Place in the oven.

4. Dry the parsley for 2-4 hours.
5. Remove from the oven.
6. Place the crushed, dried parsley into a storage container.

I use a Nesco dehydrator that I ordered online at Walmart its around $45-55. If food is dried at less than 115 degrees it is considered raw and keeps alot of its nutrients. I dry my herbs, parsley included at 115 degrees or less until dry. I keep checking them. I live in North Carolina and our humidity can be different every day so a visual check is better than a recipe for so many hours. What I end up with is beautifully dehydrated italian flat leaf parsley that is so naturally green that I have been accused of dying it. Also the flavor is so intense that I use less of it than called for in a recipe, found that out the hard way when we had rice flavored parsley on night. I have noticed this same thing with all my home grown herbs that I dehydrate below 115 degrees, the colors stay and the flavors are intense. My parsley no way compares to the store bought dyed, and flavorless flakes.

I don't wash my leaf herbs before drying.

FataMorgana

Thanks everyone for all of you great ideas.