The sweet and delicious roots of parsnips are a pleasure during the colder winter months. Discover all about harvesting parsnips, including when and how.
Parsnips (Pastinaca sativa) are a hugely popular root vegetable that have been grown for centuries as a winter staple. Read on to find out all you need to know about harvesting and storing parsnips, as well as their versatility when it comes to using them in the kitchen.
Contents
- Harvesting parsnips: when and how
- How to store and preserve parsnips
- Parsnips: benefits and uses
Harvesting parsnips: when and how
Parsnips take around 160 to 200 days to mature and be ready for harvesting after the seeds are sown. This is all dependent on the time of the sowing and the climatic conditions throughout the season. If you want to grow parsnips, they are a simple and fantastic crop, but they do require time and patience. They are very slow to germinate, so it can take several weeks for the seedlings to show. Moreover, after planting, parsnips occupy the ground for a long time and can take many months to reach maturity. However, do not be put off from growing them, as the wait for harvesting parsnips is well worth it. The delicious, aromatic, and versatile roots offer a wealth of opportunities in the kitchen.
They are tremendously hardy plants, and the parsnip season can run for many months throughout winter. The first parsnip harvest can come in late summer if you want to pick them as baby root vegetables. However, the majority of growers will start their parsnip harvest in October when the roots have grown to full size. The crop is capable of being left in the ground over winter and can continue to be harvested throughout December and even after Christmas until March. When deciding when to start harvesting parsnips, a lot of gardeners wait until the frosts have arrived. The roots taste better after being hit by a few frosts, as the starches in the parsnips are converted to sugar by freezing temperatures, making them taste even sweeter.
When the foliage turns yellow and dies back, it is a sign of a ripe parsnip that has finished growing. Using a garden fork is the easiest way to harvest parsnips. Insert the fork near the parsnip and gently lift the root out of the ground. Be gentle when harvesting parsnips to ensure the root does not snap in the ground.
How to store and preserve parsnips
The best way to store parsnips is to keep them in the ground. They are a completely hardy crop and can be left in the ground throughout winter until the time they are required. If your ground is very wet in winter, or if there is a period of very hard frosts predicted that could make it hard to dig the ground, then there are options for storing parsnips that have already been harvested.
Storing parsnips is also an alternative if you live in an area where the ground becomes difficult to dig. A good way of storing parsnips for winter is in boxes. Lift the parsnips and do not remove the soil – washing the roots will impair their storage life. Lay the roots out in boxes, making sure they are not touching and then cover with layers of sand and soil. Put this box in a cool dry location at 0 to 1 °C.
Harvested parsnips should store for about 2 weeks in the refrigerator. There is also the option of freezing parsnips. It is a root that can be frozen without the need to blanch or cook first. However, blanching the roots before storing parsnips in the freezer will prevent them from losing their colour, texture and nutritional value when defrosted and cooked. When freezing parsnips, scrub and peel the root, chop into small bite-size pieces, boil them for 2 to 3 minutes, and leave to cool. Then simply place them into labelled freezer bags and keep in the freezer for up to 12 months.
Another way of storing parsnips is by preserving them as pickles, in oil, as a pesto or a spread. When heated properly, they should keep for up to 6 months.
Parsnips: benefits and uses
Parsnips offer a great range of health and nutritional benefits. Parsnips are a great source of vitamins and minerals, such as vitamins C, K, and B6, as well as being high in antioxidants and fibre, which is valuable for digestive and heart health. Another benefit of parsnips is their anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory properties. Parsnips are closely related to carrots (Daucus carota) but offer four times more potassium, protein, fibre and vitamin C.
You can also eat raw parsnips, which offer a high level of vitamin C. Raw parsnips have a sweet and nutty flavour and can be sliced to be used in salads. Parsnip leaves are also edible and can be sauteed or blanched and added to salads. When preparing parsnips, small roots do not have to be peeled and can just be scrubbed before cooking. Peeling parsnips is necessary for medium-to-large roots as the skin can be tough when cooked.
There are several ways of preparing parsnips and, if you look in cookbooks or online, there are many recipes for parsnips. Parsnips are a highly popular root vegetable and are commonly roasted, baked, or mashed in a similar way to potatoes (Solanum tuberosum). Parsnips are also now often fried as an alternative to potatoes when it comes to making crisps. It is now also common to see parsnip purees, soups, or for the root to be added to curries or casseroles.
Parsnips can provide delicious roots over a long period if stored properly. Another root crop with a long shelf life is the potato, a crop that, as previously mentioned, is often cooked in a similar way as parsnips. If you grow potatoes and want to improve how long your crop keeps for, then read our dedicated article on storing potatoes.
