Parsnip Tender And True - Ferme de Sainte Marthe Seeds

'Tender and True' parsnip is a beautiful heirloom variety that produces long, straight tapering roots with smooth white skin. Delicious, sweet flavour. Perfect for roasting! Particularly resistant to canker. Sow from March to July and harvest from August to February. In milder climates, sow in September for May harvests.

The parsnip (Pastinaca sativa) is a biennial root vegetable, grown as an annual. It belongs to the Apiaceae family alongside carrots and parsley and has been cultivated since the Middle Ages for its long, fleshy, yellow to white edible taproot. It has an instantly recognisable sweet, earthy flavour and is packed full of nutrients, including fibre, minerals and vitamins C, K and B9 (folate). Parsnip has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. It can be prepared in a variety of ways: added to hearty soups and stews, fried, roasted, mashed, and even grated raw into colourful salads with beetroot and carrot.

Parsnips enjoy light, deep soil. Prepare the seedbed in late autumn or early spring by digging it over thoroughly and amending with well-rotted manure or compost when necessary (3 kg/m2).

Harvesting and storing: parsnips are ready to harvest when the leaves start to die back, from late autumn through till January. Lift the roots gently with a garden fork, cut off the remaining leaves and leave them to dry for a few hours before storing in a cool, dark place such as a cellar or garage. They can also be left in the ground and protected from hard frosts with a layer of mulch. Mild frosts are not a problem - they actually improve the flavour of parsnips by turning the root starches into sugars.

Good to know: In milder climates, parsnips can be sown in the autumn.

NB. Organic seeds (in French "AB" for "Agriculture Biologique") are produced from plants that aren't treated with phytosanitary products (insecticides, weed killers). The seeds do not undergo post-harvest treatment. They carry the AB label and are approved by Ecocert, an independent structure.