Parsnips

I have tried unsuccessfully a couple of times. What is the trick?

have you double checked sprouting requirements? I usually fail for not paying attention to those details, like temp, depth, light. even so, I have more than a few failures at seeds in the garden, sorry!

Well, it seems as though I have read they can be sowed in the fall. But then I am too late for this season if that is correct.

Maybe Territorial seed company might have that information.

Lenjo, they can be sown in early Spring (I guess it is still early Spring where you are? or Late Winter?)

If you're having trouble with the seeds germinating you usually have to soak them for a day or so (no more than two days though). Then sow them very shallowly in well worked soil. Sometimes folks sow some radish seed at the same time to mark the row.

As the radish gets to be of picking size then as you pick them that tends to cultivate your parsnip row, loosening the top of the soil and keeping it from caking up. The parsnips if kept moist will grow just fine thru the heat of the summer but will appear somewhat dormant for a while but will kick back in during the Fall. I imagine in your Zone you can begin pulling a few to check for "done-ness" and size. I also think that you can leave many of them in the ground and pull them as you need them thru the Winter. A bit of frost will help sweeten them up, too.

When I come back inside I'll try to find a site with more growing tips for you.

Keep smiling!
Shoe

Thanks for the information,Horseshoe. I was thinking about planting them in a raised bed where I can hopefully get the soil worked very finely. How long till they germinate?

It is still winter here which means lots of cold rain and some wind.

It takes a good while to get them to germinate, often 2 to 3 weeks, that's why it is important to be able to keep the soil moist. I bet by soaking the seed for a day or so will knock that time frame down a bit.

I just checked in a book I have for your planting times..."2-4 weeks before your last expected frost until 4 weeks after".

Shoe.

What is the difference in a parsnip and a turnip? Just curious...

Debra

Parsnips are like a white carrot almost but not the same in taste at all though. They are an interesting flavor. How would you describe the flavor, Horseshoe? Turnips are round and globular like a rutabaga or beet but again all together different veggie. I really enjoy lots of the root veggies. That would be another interesting veggie to try; the rutabaga. And speaking of root veggies, the kohlrabi is not one of my favorites.

Which root veggies do you grow, Shoe?

The greens are my favorite part of turnip plant. Are parsnips prepared in a similar fashion as turnips - either cut into chunks and cooked in water or sometimes then mashed like mashed potatoes? Are turnips a 'southern' thing and parsnips a 'northern' thing? (grin)

Good question, Fleurs, I never thought of the north south boundardy and turnips/parsnips. I like to roast parsnips with yams and garlic. I am not a native Oregonian so I don't know if turnips are southern or not. My dh teases me that my love of okra is a proof that Okie blood still runs in my veins.( I was born in OK).But okra just won't grow up here as well as sweet potatoes or peanuts. My dad sure tried growing all this stuff but just didn't work; he even tried pecans. No go here. Our nights just don't stay warm enough here even in the summer.

Ahhh, the flavor of a parsnip, Lenjo! I guess that'll depend a lot on the time of harvest, how it's cooked, etc.

They certainly benefit from a good frost, helping to sweeten them up. I know some folks that will baste them with oil and bake them till caramelized and that also sweetens them up, too. As for me, our heavy clay soil keeps me from growing many of them and the ones I get from others I tend to either saute' or boil and mash then season with a splash of lemon juice, butter, salt and pepper.

And yep, it sure could be a "north vs south" veggie. I would guess due to the hotter temps in the South not allowing it to sweeten up so much? Or maybe cus the hotter temps slow down its growth so much?

fleursdefouquet, (my goodness that is a hard word to type!) (*grin)... I, too, love the greens of the turnip plant! I eat them all Winter here (along with collards, cabbage, kale, mustard, etc). My DD and I eat the roots raw while walking around the garden. Yummy!

As for other root crops I grow, mostly beets, radish, taters, carrots, garlic and I suppose onions and leeks would be considered root crops (in some circles) as well, eh?

Shoe

I guess here in the north we just don't have all the various greens like collards and such. Of course we do the spinach and chard. I have 4 raised beds and I save them for early vegetables like the spinach and various lettuces. Soon I will get these started. I have one full of asparagus. And boy do we ever enjoy that in spring. I also plant one full of Walla Walla sweet onions.
Shoe, I have a few leeks but never quite sure when to harvest them.

I think you should be able to grow collards out your way.

As for leeks, I start pulling them when they are big enuff to eat. I like them to get as big as possible before pulling but sometimes will start harvesting earlier. If you see them in the store they are usually about 8-12 inches long (with roots trimmed and the green tops trimmed). I go by the thickness of the "trunks", too, usually about 1-2 inches across is the perfect size (preferably 2 inches so if you slice them in half you still have a good thickness of leek on your fork!).

Shoe

Shoe, just type D-e-b-r-a. It's much easier!

My grandmother taught me how to cook - she was a wonderful 'country' cook. My favorite foods are turnip greens (with a little pepper sauce), fried okra (right there with you, Lenjo!), fried squash, purple hull peas and cornbread. Can you tell I'm from the South?

Good luck with your parsnips, Lenjo!

Debra

Debra, tell me the significance of your DG name, I know fleurs is french for flowers and the de means of or from so Flowers of/from fouquet. What is the fouquet? Besides gardening I love words.

fouquet is the french spelling of Fuqua - my last name. I used 'lesfleursdefouquet' as a business name when I had antique booths and on ebay. I know it's long so I sign my name - Debra. Some days I post so much that I'm thinking of even shortening that to 'D'!

Now tell me about Lenjo!

Debra

Just the first parts of my dh and my first name, Leonard and Joann

It's nice to meet you, Lenjo! Hope you will let us know how your parsnips do this year.

Debra

Well, Debra I have as yet purchased the seed but I will check it out tomorrow at the Hardware store in the "big" city of Mt. Angel. LOL I actually live out on a farm about 4 miles from MA. I am anxious to try again following Shoe's soaking directions.

Ferndale, sounds like such a pretty name for a town. I once went through a Ferndale, California and it was a charming little town with beautiful old Victorians. Here is a picture of one of them called the Gingerbread Mansion.

My favorite way to eat parsnips is peeled and sliced about 1/8th inch thick, lengthwise. I then roll them in beaten eggs and then in crushed saltines and fry them in butter until soft. They are yummy this way.

I think parsnips have a sweet nutty flavor. I've never had any luck growing them, but it seems they are in the stores almost year around.

Interesting, Joan, I have never heard of fixing them that way, sounds delish. Mom used to always cook the various summer squashes the way you describe but would use a lot of cornmeal/flour mix for the breading.

Nutty is a good description of parsnips. I enjoy them roasted with other veggies. And you are certainly right they are readily available. I noticed two varieties in the Territorial catalog; one a long skinny thing and the other was shorter and stockier. I have such a time with long skinny veggies as they are that much harder to harvest whole.

I like carrots cooked this way also. Sometimes I use flour instead of crackers for the carrots. Those nice big sweet carrots from the garden fried up like this. YUM! They are almost as good as the parsnips.

Wow, that is really interesting, I have never heard of them that way. Does it take the carrots very long get soft?

You have to fry them at a lower temperature so they don't burn, but the carrots and parsnips both cook in about the same amount of time. I'm guessing about 10 minutes. It takes lots of butter and probably isn't the most healthy thing for us, but they are sooooo good.

Those are two very interesting ideas, Joan. Fried carrots - that's a new one. I think I'll try the fried parsnips. Like Lenjo, I grew up eating fried squash. Well, here, we eat fried everything! LOL!

Lenjo, that's a beautiful gingerbread style home. The landscaping is amazing. They must have a full-time groundskeeper to maintain those sculpted shrubs and trees! Ferndale is a little community outside of Little Rock. It's not big enough to be a 'town'! What I call 'downtown' Ferndale is a four-way stop at the two main roads! LOL! When I was growing up in Little Rock, this area was waaaay out in the country. LR has spread so far west that Ferndale is just an extension of the city. We built our home 3 1/2 years ago on about 12 acres with a little pond and we really enjoy it. I very much like to have a vegetable garden but the deer would enjoy more vegetables than we would! I'll just have to watch yours grow!

Debra

If I may join the discussion,
We planted parsnips, turnups, beets, rutabagas, kolarabi, radishes (several varieties), et al when we lived in northern MN. Loved them all as root crops.

Now in the Gulf Coast, grow mustard greens, swiss chard, radishes, parsley, cilantro, la mb's quarter, etc.
Use all the greens in a steamed mix. Had no idea that carrot tops and radish tops made good eating greens, but sure enjoy them now.

As for turnups, still prefer the root to the greens (if that is all that is in the dish), but really want both together. FIL always planted turnup greens, but finally admitted that he did not care for the flavor (he was in this 80's when he made this statement). I bought some turnups at the store and cooked then with his greens - He was raving about how good they were together, and how he wished he had not spent so many years growing just greens.

Have learned to plant a fall/winter garden to avoid most of the insects and actually get harvestable cabbage and kolarabi. Have not tried growing parsnips yet - need to expand the garden this year.

Interesting veggies there, Bubba, I would never have imagined carrot tops. And we call Lamb's Quarter is a weed here but I had also heard it was very nutritious.How do you like your turnips? Do you mash them?

Fleurs, I have been to Little Rock a couple of times , my dh 's sister used to live in a little town called Benton. But she is back here in Oregon now. I have an aunt and uncle in TN and a few cousins; so we passed through LR on our way there through OK. I don't have many relatives left in OK just a few cousins. I visited last in '99.

The garden around the Gingerbread Mansion looked wonderful but I didn't go in as you were supposed to be a paying guest of the B and B to do so. That B & B was very pricey. Way out of my league, anyhow.

My daughter lives in Benton. If you are ever through LR again, give me a shout and I'll give you the grand tour of Ferndale!

What is Lamb's Quarter? Some type of leafy green plant?

Debra

It is a weed, like Lenjo said. But the leaves are a wonderful green - very high in vitamin A.

As the DG'er who gave me 2 plants last year, told me, I now have thousands of baby plants. The plant has more stem than leaf - the leaves are small. And each bud has a magenta color which is very tasty and vitamin fortified.

Sold some last year to an organic restaurant - will repeat this year, too.

It is listed in plantfiles.

Here's the entry in PlantFiles http://davesgarden.com/pf/go/51560/index.html I think you'll recognize it after seeing the pictures. I have it all over.

Thanks JoanJ.

I forgot to answer the other question, Lenjo: I like turnups, boiled and topped with fresh butter, salt & pepper the best, but use them raw in salads, and also add to stews and roasts. Mashed would work, too.

Thanks, Joan. Plant Files says
Danger:
All parts of plant are poisonous if ingested

Hmmmm, I'm confused now! (easily done) Does it have to be prepared a particular way to not be poisonous?

Debra

Well, I've never tried to eat it, but it is listed as poisonous because in drought conditions it accumulates nitrate to potentially toxic levels. However, so do corn, sorghum, oats, barley, beet tops and wheat. http://cal.vet.upenn.edu/poison/plants/pplambs.htm

Maybe Bubba will be along to shed some light on that. Here's more information http://www.ansci.cornell.edu/plants/alphalist.html

Meanwhile, I'll see if I can find any more information, or perhaps there's a non-poisonous plant that also has the common name Lamb's Quarter that isn't poisonous? I'll see what I can find.

In the meantime, refrain from grazing in the weed patch. LOL

Yep, that is what I would call Lamb's Quarters too. I am amazed Bubba you could sell it to an organic restaurant. Never eaten it and I really don't think I would care for it. Those turnips sounds great, I will have to buy some the next time I go to the supermarket.

One of my sons' in law is Hispanic and he shows me a weed I call purslane and tells me that he and his family ate that stuff. I really can't imagine.

Love greens but only will take it so far. I guess I will have to try collard greens; have never tasted them before.

Oh yeah, purslane!!!... that nasty stuff that grows in the driveway, cracks in the sidewalk and EVERYWHERE! It's edible, but I've acquired a severe hatred for it because it's everywhere. I suspect someday I'll come home and find it growing in the living room.

In it's favor though, it's supposedly very healthy to eat. http://2bnthewild.com/plants/H186.htm

Lenjo, I also would love to have someone make me some collard greens. I've not had much luck growing them, and I once bought a can of collard greens at the grocery store, but I don't think that gave me a good first impression of GOOD collard greens. They were kinda icky.

I think I have even seen them fresh in those bags like spinach. Next time it will be turnips and collard greens when I go grocery shopping. Got me curious now and so I will be happy to try.

I have always wanted to travel a little more ( my dh is not keen though); but I always say that not only is there so many wonderful things to see but I also want to taste all the various foods from around all the regions of the world.

This message was edited Feb 23, 2007 9:20 PM

Canned greens? Bleeeck! I wish every one could be lucky enough to experience a 'mess' of greens cooked by someone who really knows their stuff. It doesn't even compare to canned greens.

I've eaten collards, but have not cooked them myself. I believe they are prepared the same as turnip greens and the secret is in the seasoning - a ham hock or some other type of fatty pork is a must, a little bit of onion, salt and pepper. Some people put a pinch of sugar in theirs - greens can sometimes be bitter. Warning: many people do not care for the way they smell while cooking.

To serve, sprinkle with pepper sauce and eat with cornbread. Even better......serve OVER cornbread and spoon lots of pot likker (liquor), the juice produced while cooking, over the them. It doesn't get much better than that.

Lenjo, is there any reason to travel other than to experience local cuisine?????

Debra

Lamb's quarter tastes better than spinach to me. Perfectly tender cooked and tasty raw. Cook it like spinach. I have read about it more than once as a wild edible, and once found it in a table comparing nutritive values of wild edibles. I think I saw a cultivar sold in the Johnny's catalog. One drawback- it turns an unattractive dark green when cooked.
I have bought golden purslane seed . It's too lemony for me. It was larger than the wild type.
Canned collards was probably not the best intro to them, I'm guessing.

Debra, interesting; only reason to travel is eat. Sounds good, lol. I bet bacon would taste great with collards then.

Sallyg, I have not tried any of the greens we have discussed other than spinach and chard. I really enjoy those both. My mother used to make spinach with thin white sauce and boiled eggs. That was one of my favorite dishes. I am afraid I would be the only one here who would eat it though.

Forgot to add, I was out and about today and bought some parsnip seeds. Now as soon as I can get an opening in this wet rainy stuff, I do believe I will get them in the ground. The package says 100 days and that is rather a long season for here.