BEHR Gemüsegarten: Products

Parsnip

The parsnip is common throughout Europe in its wild form. Before the introduction of the potato or the carrot, this ancient cultivated plant was of great importance as a food until the middle of the 18th century. After that, it fell into oblivion, but fortunately parsnip has experienced a kind of renaissance in recent years and can also be found on the menus of many Michelin-starred chefs.

Visually, the parsnip is also often mistaken for the parsley root. Both cream-coloured roots have a similar shape and white flesh. However, you can see that the parsnip has a thicker top end and that the base of the stem extends inwards. In the case of parsley root, the head is narrower and the base of the stem bulges outwards. It is also possible to distinguish between the two roots by their smell. As the name suggests, the parsley root smells of parsley and the parsnip is more similar to the smell of carrots.

The parsnip has a sweet, aromatic, slightly nutty flavour. Thanks to its sweet flavour, parsnip is often very popular with children and is often used as an ingredient in baby food.

Anbau und Ernte

The parsnip grows on fields in Bardowick (Lower Saxony) near the Elbe. Parsnips love a more maritime climate. They thrive in deep, rock-free soils. This allows the root to grow straight down. Care should also be taken to ensure an even supply of water. This makes the cultivation location close to the Elbe ideal.

Our parsnips are grown exclusively from seed. The soil is prepared well in spring and the seeds are then sown directly into the fields in April. After about five months, they can be harvested.

Zubereitung und Frischetipps

Parsnip is very easy to prepare. Cut off the top and bottom and peel the root with a potato peeler – much like a carrot. Then you can cut the parsnip into pieces of any size and then either boil, roast or fry them.

The cream-coloured roots are extremely versatile. Served as a purée, baked in the oven, as a soup or fried as chips – parsnips always go down well. If you are still looking for suitable recipes, you should definitely have a look at our recipe section. Here we have put together some fantastic and unusual recipe ideas for almost all of our products.