Parsnip Perfection!

Late winter and early Spring I tend to get cabin fever and daydream about being able to get my hands (and feet and body for that matter) in the dirt. I long to plant, dig and eat whatever good things the Earth has to offer.

So, for me, parsnips are like a dream come true! They not only taste amazing and have great nutritional benefits, but they give me my first fix of the year of eating FRESH from the garden.

Parsnips are a root vegetable and are planted from seed in early to middle Spring. They grow tops above the ground like a carrot. They do all of their growing throughout the summer. They reach their full size by fall but are not ready to eat until they go through the frost/freeze of winter. That is what gives them their sweet, nutty flavor! A flavor definitely worth waiting about 10 months for!

They are easy to grow and easy to harvest. You can harvest them while there is still snow on the ground. If the ground is not too hard we usually start to dig and eat them around February or March. In fact, in some parts of the world they are dug and traditionally served as part of Christmas Dinner.

There are many different ways to prepare them. One of my favorite ways is to slice them like pennies, salt and pepper them and sautee them in a bit of oil or butter until they are crisp. You can eat them with about any protein! They pair great with many things.

This is just one way to cook them but I know there are many options out there. You can do some searches online and find one that sounds good to you!

My son, Gavin, is a produce grower for the Prairie Street Farmers Market in Prairie du Chien and plans to plant a crop of them to take to the market for next years season.
You can also find them at health food stores.

I highly recommend them. If you have never tried them, consider it! Trying new things keeps you young!