I finally pulled my parsnips and they’ve proven to be precisely the mid-winter pick-me-up I predicted I’d need when I planted them last spring—although I’m not sure what possessed me to pry up the entire patch; it was quite a passel of parsnips.
This is my first year to partake of parsnips, so I’m not positive if I should consider them a procrastinated 2011 harvest or my premier 2012 harvest. Either way, they were the perfect excuse to poke my palms in the pretty dirt in January.
Based on pervasive garden literature, I perceived parsnips to be particularly peevish to germinate. So I practically poured out the seeds and was so pleased when every last one of them proliferated that I couldn’t part with any of them at the point they needed thinning. So, they’re a little on the puny side. A passel of petite parsnips.
I do, however, pat myself on the posterior for predicting, practically a year ago, that perhaps I’d enjoy some parsnips this January and placing some in the peat. I like producing veggies in the garden, but I don’t much like preparing them in the kitchen. Kind of the way I like procuring flowers from the store but I don’t much like planting them in the ground. So I should’ve given some prior thought to how I planned to prepare the passel of petite parsnips before they were piled on my polished countertop.
Then, as if prescient of my predicament, two bloggers I started following only a week prior happened to post parsnip recipes. So I declared a dinner theme and—just before our power went Poof! from the powdery snow and pelting ice—Mr. Sorry pan-fried a pair of pork chops and I prepared these parsnip latkes and this yummy parsnip cake. I passionately recommend both should you perhaps find your pantry protruding with a passel of parsnips any time soon.
The latkes sound yummy! I’ve never had parsnips, but I’m thinking maybe this year I will try growing them from seed.
Positively passionate, your piece on parsnips. Praise!
I have to go find out what parsnips even taste like! But I love your vocabulary on the persnickity pasnips!
This post provoked peals of laughter. I was precariously close to precipitating my pants!
One of my most favourite “P” veggies. Parsnip latkes? I am so in.
Jen @ Muddy Boot Dreams
You get the Amazing Award for all your awesome alliteration!
The first time I ate a parsnip I was perplexed because they were positively untasty. Then I peeled them and tried again. Bingo! Yumville!
I like them much better roasted than raw (and fried as latkes was even better–but then I could probably eat a dog turd if it was fried). Also, we tried some of the parsnips before it frosted and (just as the garden literature attests), they were much sweeter and yummier post-frost.
ha ha ha ha!!!!! On a day I desperately needed a laugh!!!!!