Parsnips

Good luck!

:) Thanks, Debra :) Joann

JoanJ,
The Cornell link also says turnup roots are poisonous, among other plants that are commonly consumed by humans.
Not sure what volume of product would be required to be toxic.

We usually make a mix of greens.
I've had some great greens (of only one plant) at some of the soul-food restaurants, but really prefer a mix.

Yeah, that's just it. It would probably take a huge amount to even get sick from.

Just revisiting this a bit to say I have parsnips up in my raised bed. I can't believe it. I do look forward to watching these babies grow.

Yeah for you, Lenjo! Will you update us from time to time? I'm curious to know how you will prepare the harvested product and what you think of it.

Debra

Thanks, Debra, I have to admit one day when I was out checking for germination I had a talk with my MIL who had just passed away and I said ok, Mom, I need your help here. She was a wonderful gardener and loved parsnips; who knows maybe she was a bit of help.

I like to roast them with yams, garlic, and onion.

The parsnips are growing exceedingly well, and I don't when I will harvest, I am sure we are still some time away.

In N. MN we used to harvest into the winter - as long as the ground was not frozen.

Bill

Wow, I just figured out the other annoying weed in my garden is purslane....amazing...glad I read this thread! Thanks!!

Kristie

Another parsnip recipe, derived from the (southern, I think) saying, "That don't butter no parsnips," i.e. that will not achieve your goal. Recipe: Storebought parsnips often come with a waxy coating; if that's what you have, remove the wax with a carrot peeler. Slice the parsnips crosswise into thin rounds. Put 'em in a pan with butter. Fry until the parsnips have little crispy brown edges. Eat like a maniac; salt is optional.
As to what they taste like: I'm trying to compare them with carrots, but I don't like cooked carrots and I've never tried to eat parsnips raw. Sweet nutty does it, I guess; I find cooked carrots sweet horribly bland in comparison.

The Burpee encyclopedia of organic vegie growing says that parsnips will take the entire season to grow. Harvest the little guys as you want them, but leave some in the garden until frost, and then mulch them heavily (mark their place so you don't lose them). They improve immeasurably, Burpee says, with freezing, so for a special treat in the winter pull aside the mulch and dig up a few. They're biennial so they will survive the winter, but I'd guess that the roots would be inedibly woody if you let them stay in the ground until they start making new growth the next spring. OTOH, you can then collect the seeds!

Hi all, we Here in the UK grow and eat turnips and parnips as part of our stapple diet in the winter, we use the turnips for stews, soups and the parsnips are used for roasting along with carrots, just remove the skins with a potato peeler, cut them up like really thick french fries, shake them into a polly bag with a touch of olive oil, lay them on a roasting tray and just before you want to eat them, about 10/15 mins, trickle some honey over them and finnish off roasting them, they are fab with roast lamb, roast beef etc, our turnips by the way are prob what you guy's call sweeds, they have the red outer skin and about the size of a small/med size mellon. To grow your parsnips, like carrots, they need thinning out in the rows, so once they are about an inch high, thin them out to about an inch apart, then you thin again till the final distance is about 6 inches apart, dont let them dry out in the soil for more than a few days as they become very stringey and tough, best time to harvest them is just before the hard frost starts, but really, when you feel they are to your taste, lift one out and try it before then, you will soon know when they are nice and firm but dont let them get frosted too much, it is a good idea to plant some every 2/3 weeks appart, that way you have a longer time to enjoy them and dont end up with too many all at once, dont grow them in earth that has been just manured as they will fork, just like carrots do when manure has been used, Good Luck. WeeNel.

Interesting WeeNel, manure makes them forked

Interesting WeeNel, manure makes them forked I have never heard that before.

I have mine in raised beds. I like you love to roast them with carrots, yams, onions, and garlic. Put them into a roaster with grape seed oil tossed into the veggies. A porketta roast is super too with these. MMMmmm. Yum.

true, Carrots and parsnips cant take animal manure or it causes them to fork, we grow our veg in a rotation like where we grew the peas etc and they need manure to help keep moisture into the soil, the next year in that spot, we would grow the carrots, parsnis beatroot ect, all the root veg, as the high neutrients were used up by the peas/beans etc, we have 3/4 beds to rotate the veg each year as they all require different things, it also helps prevent soil deseases like cabbage club root, as you dont get a build up of any one soil deseases or fungus attacks, some veg like limed soil so the next year we grow something else and add lime to the new bed, that way, everything ballances out over 3/4 year period, never done it any other way, but guess you just do what you learn as a child eh, hope your parsnips turn out well and you enjoy every mouthfull, good luck, WeeNel.

I understand rotation of crops, we never plant two years in a row the same veggie in the same place. I have never had luck until this season with parsnips so I am excited to have these and hopefully will leave in the soil until we use them. I have had some success doing this with carrots. Adding lime is a great idea too, our soil here is known to be acidic too.

swedes is rutabagas in the US.