Well, just because it's the holiday season and it's winter doesn't mean that we stop gardening. We went out to the lottie today and dug-up some parsnips...it was a case of the good, the bad and the ugly, I'm afraid-- but there were some keepers. Have you ever seen such a motly crew? Not exactly show quality...but then they don't have to be, they just have to taste good, right?
Right!!! Not a bad crop at all and who cares if they're not show quality. Once they're cooked they're bound to taste great. :-D
I've got 2 feet of snow in my yard! :-( I've been thinking about growing parsnips next summer. Got any tips for a beginner? If I remember them correctly from childhood they taste sort of sweet and carrot-like Sjoerd, I think all your parsnips need is a good scrubbing and they'll be beautiful! Do you have a favorite recipe using them?
Hi Cool and Dirt-- 'DIRT': They taste a bit like carrots and you can prepare them for eating by boiling, frying or mashing. I have never eaten them raw. 'Cool': Ha ha ha...you rascal! Yes they are dirty, they had just been lifted out of the ground. I had them drying in that weak sun. Well, as for growing tips- SOIL PREP: Dig and till the ground deeply. Ensure that it drains well. SOW : in April or May (may be later for you there, unles you live in Valdez). If you plant them TOO early canker can be a problem. Sow the seeds in a row in clumps of 3-4 seeds about 20 cm/8in. apart. Carefully pluk out the weakest 3 after gernmination. I will warn you now NOT to plant them in small containers then transfer them into the ground, for they will either die or get multiple, deformed roots. A NOTE ABOUT GERMINATION--Germination can be very slow (weeks), so don't give up, thinking that they have rotted. you can germinate the seeds in a wet papertowel (takes a good 2-6 or more weeks). You must then immediately plant them in the soil as soon as you see a root tip protruding from the little seed. I have planted them all kinds of ways, but find that putting them into the soil where they will be grown works best for me. HARVEST: them from September onwards. generally, not until after the first frost or two, as the freezing is what changes the flavour. Be careful not to leave them in the ground too long because they can become fibrous and tough. We freeze these parsnips in and eat then during the course of the year. The type of parsnip that we used last year was "Gladiator", but there are several different types. We chose this one to try because it is a, F1 hybrid that is suppoosed to be somewhat canker resistant. It has a good flavour as well. A favourite recipe?-- well we cut them in pieces and parboil them a few minutes then take them out and fry them in butter until they brown slightly and use them as the veg with our meals. We also parboil them, then add them to what we call a "roerbak". I don't know the english word for this, but it's where you cook a few types of veggies together with say, ground beef... stiring a sauce of choice through at the end of the cooking, just before serving. mmmmmmmmmm!
Sjoerd, i think your parsnips look just fine, wash them off an enjoy them... I'm jealous,,,lol. The ground here is frozen solid, and the fjørd is starting to freeze too.
Thanks Biita... It sounds like winter is on it's way there. We has a touch of snow here last night, but it's all gone now. Those parsnips are washed, cut, blanched and packed up...and are hard frozen in their freezer home now. I'll bet you could grow them, if you wanted.
Those look like some good parsnips. Bet they'll be going good with some dinner. That sounds like an idea here too-Think I might try planting some. I've never tried a parsnip, thanks for the good info.
I do Sjoerd, but i got all mine up by christmas. Mine are also frozen in their little bags called home,,lol. Altho just today i was down at one of the veggie fields thinking of what i wanted to keep planting down there this spring, an i noticed i still had about 10 rutabega there, geeez i tried to get them out but the ground is so frozen solid that well i guess they will become land mulch. I was disappointed too,,lol,, they are so good.
I am quite surprised that my strawberry and spinach still alive outside after a heavy snow with almost 0 F temparature.
