This weekend felt like a good time to harvest and cook up another batch of parsnips. With the recent bouts of warm weather, the tops of these
plants have been greening up nicely. However, these vegetables are for eating, not for looking pretty.
I used my shovel to dig them out this time. It sped the process up dramatically. After getting as much soil off as possible, I tossed the parsnips in a bucket of water, and gave them a quick cleaning with a veggie brush that I keep outside.
They got another wash and brushing inside the house in the sink. These roots have been in the ground for nearly a year. No one likes grit in their veg.
Digging parsnips is real work. The wise gardener gives himself a tasty reward after a successful harvest. This particular beverage is called Albino Monkey Belgian White Ale from
Strangeways Brewing in Richmond.
Parsnips get peeled, rough chopped, tossed with oil, fresh minced garlic (harvested last summer), salt, and pepper, then into the oven to roast for an hour at 375 degrees. My wife said they tasted like candy...and when one of them fell on the floor, the dog devoured it and wanted more.
That's high praise for parsnips, and highly gratifying for the gardener.
Wonderful! I can't wait for my parsnips to be ready!
ReplyDeleteWe enjoy them very much, especially roasted.
ReplyDeleteI can't believe I still haven't tried parsnips yet. And it is a good idea to keep a vegetable brush outside. I never thought of that. It would keep a lot of dirt out of my kitchen.
ReplyDeleteI actually don't think I could garden anymore without 5 gallon buckets and my dollar store veggie brush.
DeleteThis blog should be a weekly feature in the Times-Disgrace. It is written well and entertaining, both of which would be a step up for the local paper. Gardening is a popular pastime but shares little column space. Bill, your sense of humor is neatly tucked away inside the paragraphs but tends to flavor the content perfectly.
ReplyDeleteThanks! I try, but I'm unsure if I'm up to their editorial standards. Wink, wink.
DeleteI should add that I have been slugging down a Blind Tasmanian Three Legged Platypus Stout Ale as I read this blog: A perfect complement!
ReplyDeleteHa Ha! ...but truth is more ridiculous than fiction...There's a new brewery in Goochland called Lickinghole Creek Brewery. Their signature brew is the Magic Beaver. Now put it all together and say it 3 times fast.
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