FREE: 50+ Home Grown Organic Parsnip Seeds

The listing, 50+ Home Grown Organic Parsnip Seeds has ended.

50+ seeds. Free shipping. This parsnip seed is heirloom, organic, and comes fresh right from my garden this month.

The parsnip (Pastinaca sativa) is a root vegetable related to and resembles carrots, but are paler in color and have a sweeter taste when cooked. While parsnips can be eaten raw, they are more commonly served cooked. They can be boiled, roasted, and their sweet, nutty flavor enhances stews, soups and casseroles. Devotees of parsnips insist that few dishes are better than parsnips, sliced and steamed, served with butter.

The parsnip is richer in vitamins and minerals than its close relative, the carrot. It is particularly rich in potassium with 600 mg per 100 g. Parsnip contains vitamin C. It is also a good source of fiber.

Parsnips are considered winter vegetables, since low soil temperatures are necessary to develop their flavor. They are a favorite with gardeners in areas with short growing seasons. Parsnips thrive in soils that are rich, light, and deeply worked. Sow seeds in the spring, ½ inch deep, two to three seeds to the inch, in rows spaced 24 inches apart. Thin out plants to stand six to eight inches apart in the row. (32-36 weeks maturity.)

Harvesting can begin in late fall after the first frost, and continue through winter until the ground freezes over. The flavor of parsnips is greatly improved by not pulling the roots until late fall or early winter, as freezing helps convert the starches to sugar.

Parsnip seed significantly deteriorates in viability if stored for long, so it is advisable to use fresh seed each year.

Warning-- while the root of the parsnip is edible, the handling of its shoots and leaves requires protective clothing. Gloves and long sleeves are advised. If bare skin does come into contact with the upper part of a parsnip plant, the area should be washed immediately and kept out of sunlight.