I love parsnips roasted & in stews! Delicious, but I'm not sure how to grow them with my spring snapping to summer temps fast! Winter, winter ... 2 weeks of spring, then bam! 75 - 85!
because parsnip can wild seed itself and adapt to your climate - I would say it is a great survival food - cook it- fryed in stir fry, make french fries, mash it - use in a shepherds pie - in soups and stews and roasted ! I used some in a stir fry with mushrooms and various peppers and steak last night - it was wonderful !
Another informative video Greg! You are cranking them out daily now. I've never tried parsnips before, but I've got some planted this year. Thanks for taking time to help educate people like me.
Thanks Bob. I shot all this footage on the weekend, and it just worked out that I had a number of vids that could be made from the footage. I'll probably settle into 2 vids a week. That's about all I can do with a full time job and young kids (and a big garden!!!) I'd love to do more, but I'd need a million subscribers to quit my day job :)
Greg, I planted out parsnip seed in February in my Zone 6a garden and had surprising germination and growth so far. I had even used old seed that I thought would not grow at all, so I'm happy. Great update, and a great deal of gardening is trial and error. Have a great today! Catherine
We enjoy learning along with you Greg,thank you.Some seeds I have found you could plant in the fall and they will start to come up in early spring,lettuce is one,so is potatoes for this area.I have both coming up each year all by being in the ground all winter long.
I'll have to try lettuce this fall thanks! I've tried potatoes here and a lot of them rot - it's probably just too wet and cold here - we get a lot of rain in the winter and a lot of days well below zero. Our winters are weird :)
Good news , the zone 5b experiment went the same . Parsnip candy , peel , slice into 1/4 inch thick slabs , fry in butter till golden on each side. If you haven't tried it , be warned , it's hard to cook them any other way after... Have a great day =)
Two years ago I went to my nephew's wedding in Ottawa and three things stand out in my mind about the reception (which was held in a restaurant as was the wedding ceremony... very practical) ..... The three things were #1- cucumber beer (strangely good), #2- steak tartare (which most people were afraid to eat so I had lots), and #3- the beets. The beets were like candy just like you describe your parsnips and they were so good I found the chef and asked him how he did it. There was no artificially added sweeteners of any kind but the beets were sliced and slow cooked at around 250°F (maybe less) for quite a long time until the flavours and natural sugars of the beet became very concentrated. They were delightful. P.S. I'm going to try your parsnip method.
After typing it in I couldn't stop myself , I have a pan full frying right now =) Use bacon fat if you are brave enough , it may ruin you for other candy ...
Hi Greg, I have watched this video a couple of times. I am wanting to plant parsnips this fall. When you say you plant them in the "fall", just how late or early do you plant them? I am in the Annapolis Valley so have somewhat similar climate. Thank you for all your great information!
I went to Vesey's website to research the Albion parsnips and found that they are a hybrid. This makes me wonder what the offspring you planted from the Albion's seeds will look like because it will likely take the recessive trait of one of the parent plants that were crossed to create the hybrid Albion. This should be interesting. I just walked out to make sure and I see that I, too, planted Albion's this year and last year. I've left one (maybe more) of last year's parsnips in my garden to go to seed this year with the intention of planting my own seed too but whether I continue will depend on what kind of results you get with your second generation parsnips. If they turn out to be some stunty, weird looking, little things I may not follow through and, instead, try to find a purebred (heirloom) parsnip for next season that will consistently recreate itself in its own image. As always, this was a good video. Cheers.
Great videos, I just discovered your channel and as I live inOntario, we face many similar conditions (minus the bears, thankfully!) I was wondering if you sow your seeds in the spring,say carrots, beets etc the same way,with cardboard strips in between rows I really love your super practical,easy and lazy gardening methods. Gardening is quite enough hard work,as it is, without adding unnecessary jobs.
I noticed that you have a lot of evergreen (spruce) boughs near your saved seed parsnips. I've seen videos that say not to use evergreens in compost because of some chemical in the evergreens that supresses the growth of most other plants. I don't know for sure if that is true, but it might be worth looking into.
I think I just planted them too sparingly - they have a ppor germination rate so you need to plant alot. The Vesey's seed rate is like 85% or something - very high
Hi Greg. I let a couple of last year’s parsnips grow on through the summer to make seeds. I was successful, but I think I blew it. When I collected them, it looked like the seed pods had all split and dropped their germs. What are your thoughts?
I find that unlikely - I seem to recall thinking the same thing when I 1st started saving mine. Perhaps it just appears that way - when in fact there are just two seed pods that have pulled them apart. My advice - save them, and pl,ant some in a pot in doors in February to see if they are viable. If they grow - then use them in april.
Will be trying some parsnips for the first, this coming Spring
I love parsnips roasted & in stews! Delicious, but I'm not sure how to grow them with my spring snapping to summer temps fast! Winter, winter ... 2 weeks of spring, then bam! 75 - 85!
because parsnip can wild seed itself and adapt to your climate - I would say it is a great survival food - cook it- fryed in stir fry, make french fries, mash it - use in a shepherds pie - in soups and stews and roasted ! I used some in a stir fry with mushrooms and various peppers and steak last night - it was wonderful !
We plant in May and harvest in May. Fantastic. The secret is not to sow too thick. If you do the roots will be small.
That's right!
Another informative video Greg! You are cranking them out daily now. I've never tried parsnips before, but I've got some planted this year. Thanks for taking time to help educate people like me.
Thanks Bob. I shot all this footage on the weekend, and it just worked out that I had a number of vids that could be made from the footage. I'll probably settle into 2 vids a week. That's about all I can do with a full time job and young kids (and a big garden!!!) I'd love to do more, but I'd need a million subscribers to quit my day job :)
Works in zone 3 for me
Greg, I planted out parsnip seed in February in my Zone 6a garden and had surprising germination and growth so far. I had even used old seed that I thought would not grow at all, so I'm happy. Great update, and a great deal of gardening is trial and error. Have a great today! Catherine
That's great Catherine!
Creeping Buttercup, I specialize in growing them on my allotment, LOL
Yes they do creep! - They are plentiful here as well :)
We enjoy learning along with you Greg,thank you.Some seeds I have found you could plant in the fall and they will start to come up in early spring,lettuce is one,so is potatoes for this area.I have both coming up each year all by being in the ground all winter long.
I'll have to try lettuce this fall thanks! I've tried potatoes here and a lot of them rot - it's probably just too wet and cold here - we get a lot of rain in the winter and a lot of days well below zero. Our winters are weird :)
I wish I had more room to try all the things you do. I need to make choices!
Who says I'm not making choices!!!! :)
Good news , the zone 5b experiment went the same . Parsnip candy , peel , slice into 1/4 inch thick slabs , fry in butter till golden on each side. If you haven't tried it , be warned , it's hard to cook them any other way after... Have a great day =)
Two years ago I went to my nephew's wedding in Ottawa and three things stand out in my mind about the reception (which was held in a restaurant as was the wedding ceremony... very practical) ..... The three things were #1- cucumber beer (strangely good), #2- steak tartare (which most people were afraid to eat so I had lots), and #3- the beets. The beets were like candy just like you describe your parsnips and they were so good I found the chef and asked him how he did it. There was no artificially added sweeteners of any kind but the beets were sliced and slow cooked at around 250°F (maybe less) for quite a long time until the flavours and natural sugars of the beet became very concentrated. They were delightful.
P.S. I'm going to try your parsnip method.
After typing it in I couldn't stop myself , I have a pan full frying right now =)
Use bacon fat if you are brave enough , it may ruin you for other candy ...
I roast them in a very similar way. Yes, the sugar content makes them deliciously caramelized when browned!
Hi Greg, I have watched this video a couple of times. I am wanting to plant parsnips this fall. When you say you plant them in the "fall", just how late or early do you plant them? I am in the Annapolis Valley so have somewhat similar climate. Thank you for all your great information!
You can do it now or in Nov.
I went to Vesey's website to research the Albion parsnips and found that they are a hybrid. This makes me wonder what the offspring you planted from the Albion's seeds will look like because it will likely take the recessive trait of one of the parent plants that were crossed to create the hybrid Albion. This should be interesting.
I just walked out to make sure and I see that I, too, planted Albion's this year and last year. I've left one (maybe more) of last year's parsnips in my garden to go to seed this year with the intention of planting my own seed too but whether I continue will depend on what kind of results you get with your second generation parsnips. If they turn out to be some stunty, weird looking, little things I may not follow through and, instead, try to find a purebred (heirloom) parsnip for next season that will consistently recreate itself in its own image.
As always, this was a good video.
Cheers.
Hi Eldon - The ones I let go to seed are of the "hollow crown" variety. Heirlooms.
Great videos, I just discovered your channel and as I live inOntario, we face many similar conditions (minus the bears, thankfully!) I was wondering if you sow your seeds in the spring,say carrots, beets etc the same way,with cardboard strips in between rows I really love your super practical,easy and lazy gardening methods. Gardening is quite enough hard work,as it is, without adding unnecessary jobs.
Yes - I sow most things this way in spring as well
How did your own variety of saved parsnip seeds work?
They always work out great
I noticed that you have a lot of evergreen (spruce) boughs near your saved seed parsnips. I've seen videos that say not to use evergreens in compost because of some chemical in the evergreens that supresses the growth of most other plants. I don't know for sure if that is true, but it might be worth looking into.
I think I just planted them too sparingly - they have a ppor germination rate so you need to plant alot. The Vesey's seed rate is like 85% or something - very high
Hi Greg. I let a couple of last year’s parsnips grow on through the summer to make seeds. I was successful, but I think I blew it. When I collected them, it looked like the seed pods had all split and dropped their germs. What are your thoughts?
I find that unlikely - I seem to recall thinking the same thing when I 1st started saving mine. Perhaps it just appears that way - when in fact there are just two seed pods that have pulled them apart. My advice - save them, and pl,ant some in a pot in doors in February to see if they are viable. If they grow - then use them in april.
OK I put a bunch in a plastic bag on a wet paper towel. In a matter of days a few of them germinated. I’ll continue the experiment...
Greg did you say that you are planting wild parsnip seed as well? I know that wild parsnip, grows up at my exwife's in zone 3A.
No, just seeds I saved - hollow crown variety