This is not a parsnip.
It grew in a row, where I'm pretty darned sure I planted parsnips.
I watched them get bigger and bigger - especially this one. And I was so happy because I was growing parsnips! A new food to try!
And I planted a row of turnips on the other side of the bed so we could try those, too.
But when I was reading up on the best time to harvest parsnips, I noticed that the leaves on those pics did not look like the leaves on my parsnips. And then I realized that the leaves on my parsnips looked an awful lot like the leaves on the new turnips I had planted.
Someone had obviously made a mistake somewhere along the line. Or vandalized my planting.
This is what I'm pretty sure happened: Someone came along after I planted my parsnips and carefully pulled up every seed and replaced it with a turnip seed. Yes.
That must have been what happened.
So I harvested my row of un-parsnips and sure enough, they are Boule d'Or turnips, just like my new row of them. Quite lovely, if I do say so myself.
We chopped them and roasted them with carrots, two ways. Savory: with garlic and olive oil. Sweet: with a little butter and generous amounts of brown sugar. We roasted in the oven at about 300 for an hour and a half or so - until they were fork soft.
I liked the sweet ones the best and will probably chop up a handful of candied ginger to roast with them next time. Mmmmm.
Here's another recipe I just found for Turnip and Parsley Patties that sounds pretty tasty. [Great blog, too!] They're turnip fritters!
We'll also put some of them in pasties to freeze for winter dinners. It's so exciting having a new veggie to try.