John Myers
Parsnips are one of the vegetables that have made a big comeback in recent years. Luckily: We don’t want to do without their sweet and spicy aroma, especially in the winter months.
Worth knowing about the parsnip
The parsnip was already very popular in the Middle Ages. In the 18th century, however, it was replaced by potatoes and carrots because they could be harvested more quickly. After a long dry spell, the Germans rediscovered parsnips. In other countries, for example, the USA and England, the roots have long been considered a delicacy.
They belong to the umbelliferae family. Just like carrots, they are a root vegetables, which is why they are similar in a few ways: parsnips have the same shape, but unlike carrots, they are white to light brown and yellowish-white on the inside. The pulp smells of carrots and has a sweet, spicy aroma. A single parsnip, also known as mutton carrot or deer carrot, can grow up to 40 centimeters long.
Parsnips are a typical autumn and winter vegetable. The first will be offered from September. Their main season runs from November to March. Stored roots are sold at the end of winter. They should be harvested after the first frost, when they taste sweeter and mellower.
Shopping and cooking tips for parsnips
Incidentally, although they look very similar, parsnip roots and parsley roots are not the same. The smell test helps to distinguish them: the parsnip smells sweet, the parsley root quite typically of parsley. You can recognize fresh specimens by the fact that they do not yield under pressure and the skin is taut and firm. The root tastes best when it is about 20 centimeters long. Larger specimens can be woody.
In the trade, pre-washed roots are usually offered, which should be used up within a week. To keep them fresh for as long as possible, you should store them in the vegetable compartment of the refrigerator. If you have a basement, you can keep them there in boxes with damp sand.
If you want to have some of the vegetables for longer, you can simply freeze them: blanch the cleaned and finely chopped roots in salted water for one to two minutes and then drain well. Packed airtight in freezer bags or cans, they can be stored in the freezer for up to a year.
On a cold, wet, gray day, parsnip soup is perfect to warm you up from the inside. Prepared as a puree or oven-roasted, the root vegetable makes a fine side dish for fish or meat dishes. Serve our roast pork with parsnips at next Sunday’s dinner, your family will be delighted. Speaking of enthusiasm: fans of vegetable chips will be happy to hear that delicious chips can also be prepared from the root.
The root, in the form of parsnip porridge, is also very popular with the youngest gourmets: thanks to its light sweetness and good tolerability, it is ideally suited for supplementary food for babies and toddlers.
Just like carrots, parsnip roots can also be eaten raw, making them a delicious salad ingredient. Drizzle them with a little lemon juice when preparing them raw, otherwise, the roots may turn black.
