While parsnips may not be as good-looking as their carrot cousins, Kem Ormond reckons they pack a whole lot more flavour. Photo / Paul Taylor
While parsnips may not be as good-looking as their carrot cousins, Kem Ormond reckons they pack a whole lot more flavour. Photo / Paul Taylor
Kem Ormond is a features writer for NZME community newspapers and The Country. She’s also a keen gardener. This week, she’s singing the praises of the humble parsnip.
Another underrated vegetable, along with the poor broad bean, is the parsnip. People eitherlove them or they hate them.
Ask any youngster if they like parsnips mashed with carrots and watch them screw up their nose.
The parsnip (Pastinaca sativa) is a root vegetable closely related to the carrot and parsley.
They have a slightly earthy taste, are sweeter than a carrot, are packed with fibre and are a reliable source of vitamin C, vitamin K, and folate.
They certainly are not as good-looking as their carrot cousin but, in my opinion, they pack a whole lot more flavour.
While you can get away without having to peel a carrot, it is not so with the parsnip (unless small and young) as they are rather hairy and what I call a little gnarly.
You can use them in several ways, such as my favourite which is roasted, but they are just as nice as a mash with carrots, as crispy parsnip chips, in creamy soups, or thrown into a casserole.
I have even seen muffins made with them with a dash of thyme and honey.
How versatile is the parsnip!
Growing parsnips
I have had varied results with growing parsnips, but I have learnt a lot from my successes and failures and now know what they require regarding their growing conditions.
First of all, they prefer a sunny spot with loose, free-draining, fertile soil that has been well-fed with organic matter, such as a good compost, sheep pellets, blood and bone, rotted straw, or the like.
Make sure that your soil is free of rocks, stones, twigs, and debris, especially if using homemade compost.
Even the smallest of stones can cause parsnips to fork and grow into the weirdest of shapes that are so hard to peel.
So, it is well worth the effort in your soil preparation.
Roasted parsnip and spinach soup. Photo / Babiche Martens
I like to plant the seed directly into the ground like I do my carrots, and I usually do this in spring and early summer, at a depth of about 6mm and I plant in rows approx. 40-50cm apart.
I usually add a light layer of seed-raising mix to sow the seeds into as they prefer a bit of pampering to get them going.
The seed takes a while to germinate so you need to be patient and you need to make sure you keep the soil moist.
As they grow, I give them a few feeds of liquid seaweed, or I have in the past made my own concoction of borage or comfrey and horse poo.
(Put in a barrel with water to rot and then use the liquid).
They also like to be deeply watered on dry hot days.
They will need thinning out as they grow, and I usually do this at about five weeks by pulling out the weaker plants and leaving 7-10cm space between plants.
Don’t waste those young leaves, include them in a salad with some miner’s lettuce, and any other greens you may have in your garden.
Pear, parsnip, sage and parmesan salad. Photo / Babiche Martens
Parsnips take 4-5 months to mature, so make sure they are happily settled in the ground before winter comes as they actually like frosts and it seems to bring out the sugars in them making them nicer to roast.
There are many varieties of parsnip seed, but some of the more popular parsnip varieties include Guernsey, Hollow Crown, Javelin, and Supersnip.
If you want your family to appreciate parsnips, don’t boil and serve, find a more exciting way to introduce them to the creamy, tasty, sweet parsnip.
