ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Wednesday, November 13, 1996 TAG: 9611130030
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 8 EDITION: METRO
Parsnips will test the patience of even the most dedicated gardener. Seeds are planted in early spring and take what seems like forever to sprout. Then the plants take their own sweet time to grow and won't produce good roots until well into the fall. Even then, parsnips are not ready.
Oh, they are edible and certainly can be pulled out of the ground when they are about 4 inches long and 2 inches wide. But only after a few freezes are parsnips truly ready for the table.
When parsnips freeze naturally while stored in the ground, their starch turns to sugar, making them sweeter. They can even be left in the garden for an early spring harvest.
Whether you are growing your own or picking parsnips out of a grocer's lineup, choose small to medium roots that look fresh and feel firm. Larger ones can be woody inside. Avoid limp roots and ones with bruises or cuts.
Parsnips will stay fresh for about two weeks if wrapped in a plastic bag and stored in the refrigerator. But don't store them near apples, pears and other fruits, even tomatoes, because the ethylene gas produced from these fruits can make parsnips bitter, say Kathleen Mayes and Sandra Gottfried in ``Roots: A Vegetarian Bounty.''
Four medium parsnips weigh about a pound and yield 2 cups peeled and chopped. Any way you enjoy them, they add a dose of good nutrition. Parsnips are packed with vitamins A and C and potassium and are good sources of phosphorus and iron.
Opinions differ on how parsnips should be eaten. Some chefs say raw parsnips are dull and bitter, while others rave about the sweet qualities of peeled and julienned strips in raw salads.
Jane Horn, in ``Cooking A to Z,'' says parsnips are always to be eaten cooked. They can be boiled, steamed, stewed or baked, or they can be mashed and mixed with butter like mashed potatoes.
Peeling is easier once whole parsnips have been cooked. Be careful, though. Parsnips can turn mushy if overcooked, so add peeled chunks to simmering soups and stews about 30 minutes before serving time and to roasting meat for the last hour of cooking time.
Sharon Tyler Herbst's ``Food Lover's Tiptionary'' suggests using parsnips as you would carrots.
Mayes and Gottfried say parsnips are great raw and even taste a little like crab or lobster, which enables them to be the surprise ingredient in the mock-crab salad on Page 4.
Sauerkraut, too, can sometimes be surprising. In the recipe for apple cake on Page 4, the fermented cabbage, which is usually associated with a briny flavor, adds moisture and a coconutlike texture. The cake's cinnamon-apple flavor is perfect for the fall and winter season, and it's great to take to parties.
- EDWIGE LEE, KNIGHT-RIDDER/TRIBUNE
AND THE ASSOCIATED PRESS CONTRIBUTED
TO THIS STORY
Recipes for:
PARSNIP MOCK-CRAB SALAD
SURPRISE APPLE CAKE
CREAM CHEESE FROSTING
LENGTH: Medium: 64 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: AP. Surprise Apple Cake is moist and tender, topped withby CNBa creme cheese frosting. For the recipe, see Page 4. color.