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Buying & Storage:
Look for firm evenly colored roots without serious blemishes. They can
be fairly large without getting fibrous, but beyond about 10 inches they
develope a woody core.. Leave them on the counter until they no longer look
wet, then bag loosly in plastic and they will keep more than a month in the
refrigerator.
Cooking: Parsnips are generally peeled before use but they
can be boiled or steamed and the skins then scraped off to preserve nutritional
value. They are usually cooked but can also be eaten raw in salads and the
like.
In Europe they were a major starchy root vegetable until arrival of the
potato and still play an important part in some traditional meals. They were
comonly roasted, often along with meat, but also steamed or boiled and
mashed.
Today parsnips are most used as an aromatic vegetable in soups and stews.
The should be added near the end of cooking or they will become mushy -
they aren't nearly as durable as carrots.
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Native to Eurasia, parsnips have been eaten since ancient times and
were carried north by the Romans who found they grew much larger in colder
climates. They are harvested after the first sharp frost as their flavor
improves from this exposure. They are not grown in frost free climates for
this reason. In recent times parsnips have been overshadowed
by the potato but are still featured in some Euripean traditional meals.
Today they are often used to flavor soups and stews. Parsnips are less crisp,
sweeter and milder but more aromatic in flavor than carrots. The center photo
specimen was 8-3/4 inches long, 2-1/4 inches diameter and weighed 7-1/2 ounces.