Normally we wait for the first frost to lift the parsnips. This year it is difficult to gauge, so we have now begun harvesting. The first half of the planted parsnips are out, washed and ready for processing. We will have some purée with our meal tomorrow evening. The weather is cold now and the garden is changing its appearance rapidly. We will leave the rest of the parsnips in the ground until we get a bit of frost or, if the weather warms-up...we will lift the rest then. Just have a look at these beauties: Don't they just make your mouth water? I am so proud of these...the length of the roots are so long ! I wonder if this has something to do with the extremely dry summer that we had. Another thing is the germination rate--it was almost 100%. The Bride had to thin them out for the first time ...evvuh. The result was definately not par for the course. Parsnips here are notoriously difficult to be successful with. For instance we usually plant two rows of two different types of parsnip, and then we are lucky if we get one half of one row row. I call those results "dismal". We have also tried to "pre-germinate" them by putting the seeds in wet paper towels and letting them sit for a few days...with and without heat under them. We have tried other techniques as well, but we still just have poor success rates, so you can perhaps imagine how elated I am this year. --yippee!!!
I'm so happy for you and yes, those are lovely parsnips. If I can appreciate parsnips, you really have a great crop!
Congrats on such a wonderful harvest, they look great. Never acquired a taste for them myself but I am glad you will have them to enjoy through the winter.
They need a period of frost to change the starch in them into sugar so they become sweeter. However, if frost is not forthcoming then blanching and putting in the freezer has the same effect. We find if we leave them in the soil for too long they develop a hard core.
@Sjoerd great parsnips mate, good quality in size ...they would have gone great in our stew last night Don't mention the weather ...I've got plants dying now for the winter and plants still flowering quite odd really but a lot of your ground as been cleared nicely
You must be so pleased to get a good crop at last. I've never grown parsnips as I've been told they are hard to raise. The weather obviously helped you along this year and the harvest you've got is something to be really proud of.
I wanted to try them and planted some seed,,not a single one came up ! Guess they don`t like Texas weather ! How do you store them Sjoerd ?
Thanks so much JANE. You make a good point that I take as complimentary. chuckle. TONI--Thank you. I really like them and use them several different ways. PALUSTRIS--You are so very right about the cores becoming hard. We have had that a couple of times in the past. That is something that costs lots of extra time when processing them. Ta GAIL--That weather is something else this year innit. EILEEN--You are too right about me being so pleased...chuffed to bits! Do you know, we actually have too much!? hahaha--never satisfied. You are also correct about them being difficult to raise...well actually the difficulty is with the germination (Mart's posting just below is a perfect example of what I am talking about), once they have germinated, then they're off and do the rest themselves until harvesting time. Oh no MART--That is sad news, but so typical of the awkward parsnip. I actually do not know how well they would grow in your climate there, but I do hope that you try again. Sometimes you have to germinate the seeds inside your home and then plant them out later. I can imagine that you may need to water and mulch them more frequently than I do here in our cool and moist climate. Are parsnips for sale in your supermarkets there? One almost never sees them here in the supermarket. It is what we call, "a forgotten vegetable". You asked how I store them: I blanch them and freeze them in. If you would like to store them though you could use a clamp ( http://www.gardenstew.com/threads/making-a-clamp.12230/ ) or keep them in sand or a bed of straw in your cellar.
Taste good when roasted, but they also are very good when boiled, and creamed like mashed potatoes. We like a spicy Parsnip soup too. Also pleasant raw and grated for a winter salad.
Hi Sjoerd I hope your keeping well ….don't mention it mate, the front garden is plastered in leaves...i'll need a totally new back after the weekend, until more drop
Those are beautiful. The hardest part about parsnips is getting them to germinate. The seeds don't like to be covered and yet they take ~3 weeks to come up. It helps to have automatic watering that can keep the seeds moist. After they they are pretty trouble free. At least in my experience. Try parsnip fritters someday. Lots of recipes on the web. You won;t be sorry.
Sjoerd, those make a person want to try and grow them!!! Congrats and amazing job!!! Those are beautiful and yes, you should overjoyed about those babies...heck I am
If you have trouble getting the seeds to germinate in the soil, you can do it on coffee filter paper and then sow the growing seeds afterwards. The other trick is to take out the drill where you are going to sow them and then cover the base of it with damp peat or leaf mould and sow the seeds in that.
Glad you guys liked the thread. There are lots of tips on this thread for those of you who have not yet tried parsnips.