Sunday 21 October 2012

The Winter Garden - Parsnips

Yesterday I spent a pleasant couple of hours at the veg plot, taking down the sweet pea nets, dismantling the runner bean supports and digging up a few parsnips for Sunday lunch.

I sowed them way back in March on one of the rare days when it didn't rain.  I didn't hold out much hope for them, but, surprisingly, they thrived.  Two rows is plenty for our household if they all germinate - and they did.  But, on digging up a few from each row, I was surprised at the difference between them.

One row were perfect, well, almost perfect, specimens - they hadn't quite filled out all the way down the root - a bit top heavy you could say - but they were a really good size.

I'm not quite sure what variety they are, as I had picked up several packets of different varieties, forgetting that I had already bought some - so I mixed them all together - the thinking being that if some didn't do well, others would.
Ugly parsnip

The other row was a disaster.  Squat, multi-pronged roots, that were hardly useable.  Not sure what went wrong there - perhaps they hit a hard patch where I hadn't loosened the soil enough.  Anyway, the other good row will see us through the winter.  I will gradually dig the whole row up and keep them stored layered in dry earth in a very large plant pot.  They keep very well this way as long as they aren't washed beforehand.

Here's what Nigel Slater has to say about parsnips:-
The soil-encrusted root, gnarled like the bark of an old tree, hides a creamy flesh that is both earthy and sweet.  Snapped in half, it smells of freshly dug ground.  Roasted in butter, it smells of warm heather honey.  I value the parsnip for its gentle sweetness, its happy marriage with the crusted edges of a piece of roast beef, and the velvety soup you can make even from its woody core.  Steamed, mashed and softened to a puree with warm cream, the frugal root becomes a deceptively luxurious accompaniment to roast lamb.  Baked in a slow oven with cream and the milder spices - cumin, nutmeg, and a few specks of mace - the parsnip makes a sensual supper on a day when you are expecting someone to arrive home cold and sodden. 

14 comments:

  1. If I were you I'd challenge Nigel to make a "sensual supper" out of that wierd one!

    ReplyDelete
  2. We have to take our sweet pea frame down - runner beans are down though. No parsnips dug yet - the second one reminds me of some creature I once saw on TV that had lots of tentacles growing from its face. Could have been a clip from Dr Who maybe?

    ReplyDelete
  3. I love parsnips, one of my favourite veg. I've managed to get the total sum of three parsnips to germinate this year, and that's from more than one sowing, so I hope they're doing well underground. Such a difference between your two.

    ReplyDelete
  4. The Parsnips look excellent, I think you maybe right about a patch of hard ground affecting one of the rows. My Parsnips developed extremely quickly this year, possibly due to the wet weather?

    ReplyDelete
  5. I've not grown parsnips yet but may give them a go next year. I like the look of the funny one but I wouldn't want more than a few! LOL!

    ReplyDelete
  6. There used to be a vegetable modelling competition in our village gala - your parsnip could have been a winner! The others look good though, maybe there is just the one 'rogue' parsnip in the row.

    ReplyDelete
  7. The parsip looks like a mandrake,the plant that is said to scream when you pull it up!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Mmmmmmmm - my mouth is watering just reading Nigel's words :) I've never tried growing parsnips Elaine but must have a go as they are a favourite, especially at this time of year. I imagine that those with multiple roots would be just too challenging to peel.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Parsnips are about the only thing left on Other Half's banned list that I have yet to conquer. Sadly he is a child of bad school dinners!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Nige is a (great) chef - not a grower. I bought his "Tender" and it reveals he knows nothing about growing.

    Parsnips (and carrots) fang if you add fresh manure (or if you transplant them).

    ReplyDelete
  11. I wouldn't be surprised if the soil was too rich for the multi legged ones. France has never been big on Parsnips, so I was shocked to see some beauties in the veg department of my favourite Spermarché last week. I would have bought some, but I'm still living on everything home grown. If they still have them at Christmas, I shall invest.

    ReplyDelete
  12. I didn't grow parsnips this year and now I wish I had.

    ReplyDelete
  13. I grew one similar to the one in that last picture last year, I didn't get round to sowing any this year but really wish I had now. They are so delicious roasted.

    ReplyDelete
  14. I had silly, multi-legged parsnips growing right next to beautiful, long, full parsnips this year. Why IS that? I agree that, except to make the grandchildren giggle, they are barely useable.

    ReplyDelete

If you have enjoyed reading this post why not leave a comment - I would love to hear from you.

Note: only a member of this blog may post a comment.

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...