The sap from the shoots and leaves is actually phototoxic and those harvesting parsnips should take the necessary precautions when harvesting and handling. Parsnips also served as the main cultivated starch of the Thirteen British Colonies until it was replaced by the potato. They were originally used as a sweetener in Europe before beet and cane sugar became available. ![]() Parsnips are biennials, which means they live for two years, although they tend to be grown as annuals and harvested in that first year. So let’s get to know parsnips a little bit better, and maybe you’ll try them out too. Now, parsnips are wonderful all on their own, not just as a substitute for carrots. I started to swap them in for carrots in some recipes, or do a mix of the two in others, and the results were wonderful. So I looked up more recipes, tried a few things out, and came to the conclusion that I find them more interesting than carrots. They were so bright, crunchy, and sweet, I just had to play around with them more. That changed when I added them to my raw beet slaw instead of carrots and was blown away. I had always enjoyed parsnips in a roasted root vegetable medley or as the star in a roasted parsnip soup, but I hadn’t really experimented with them in my own kitchen. Personally, I’ve only expanded on my love of parsnips in the last 3 years after moving to central Illinois from Chicago. ![]() Turnips are more worldly and widely loved despite being a little more basic, especially in the flavor category. Beets are a completely separate category and have their own club of die-hard fans. They aren’t carrots, though they look the most like them, and are constantly overlooked in favor of their prettier, vibrantly-colored cousin. The White Carrot stands alone, and its name is Parsnip…appearing perpetually dirty but boasting an amazingly sweet flavor and great nutrition, parsnips are almost the embodiment of the phrase “don’t judge a book by its cover.” Unfortunately, parsnips are like the estranged cousin of the more popular root vegetables.
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