My daughter let some of her last years parsnips go to seed and they were in
her opinion very attractive plants. Yesterday she decided she needed the
room and so pulled them up. A passer by told her that in that state they
were very dangerous and could cause health problems, She donned gloves and
continued to remove the plants, she left them on the ground and intends to
burn them. She did however feel unwell last night so is it true. ? Another
parsnip fact she was told is that the long root of the parsnip should not be
eaten because that is toxic too.

Kate

In message , Kate
Morgan writes
My daughter let some of her last years parsnips go to seed and they
were in her opinion very attractive plants. Yesterday she decided she
needed the room and so pulled them up. A passer by told her that in
that state they were very dangerous and could cause health problems,
She donned gloves and continued to remove the plants, she left them on
the ground and intends to burn them. She did however feel unwell last
night so is it true. ? Another parsnip fact she was told is that the
long root of the parsnip should not be eaten because that is toxic too.

Kate

Wikipedia claims, but does not provide a citation, that *wild* parsnips
cause phytophotodermatis (presumably as per giant hogweed). Google finds
references to this, but also finds that cow parsnip refers to what we
know as hogweeds, which could confuse the matter. However, it seems to
me on a casual perusal that wild parsnip is among the culprits. (Wild
carrot can also cause phytophotodermatis.) The active constituent is the
same as in rue, another notorious cause of skin blistering.

If there's other health issues then you'll have to dig further to find
them. (I seem to recall a report in New Scientist many years ago that
parsnips contain carcinogens, but quite possibly every crop plant
contains compounds that are carcinogenic in sufficient concentration -
Google finds an 1981 report to that effect at
http://particle.physics.ucdavis.edu/News/parsnips.html)
--
Stewart Robert Hinsley

The message
from "Kate Morgan" contains these words:

My daughter let some of her last years parsnips go to seed and they were in
her opinion very attractive plants. Yesterday she decided she needed the
room and so pulled them up. A passer by told her that in that state they
were very dangerous and could cause health problems, She donned gloves and
continued to remove the plants, she left them on the ground and intends to
burn them. She did however feel unwell last night so is it true. ? Another
parsnip fact she was told is that the long root of the parsnip should
not be
eaten because that is toxic too.

You should always peel parsnips because the skin is toxic - at least to
insects. Whether it is to us, I've no idea.

I've not heard that parsnips can be dangerous otherwise, and I'm sure it
would be common knowledge if it were so.

--
Rusty
Direct reply to: horrid dot squeak snailything zetnet point co period uk
Separator in search of a sig

"Rusty Hinge 2" wrote in message
k...
The message
from "Kate Morgan" contains these words:

My daughter let some of her last years parsnips go to seed and they were
in
her opinion very attractive plants. Yesterday she decided she needed the
room and so pulled them up. A passer by told her that in that state they
were very dangerous and could cause health problems, She donned gloves
and
continued to remove the plants, she left them on the ground and intends
to
burn them. She did however feel unwell last night so is it true. ?
Another
parsnip fact she was told is that the long root of the parsnip should
not be
eaten because that is toxic too.

You should always peel parsnips because the skin is toxic - at least to
insects. Whether it is to us, I've no idea.

I've not heard that parsnips can be dangerous otherwise, and I'm sure it
would be common knowledge if it were so.


I've made wine by boiling up unpeeled parsnips - and very good it was too!
Not only did I enjoy the wine, I froze the resulting parsnips (you just need
the water they're boiled in for parsnip wine) and ate them later. Must be 5
years ago now and I'm still up and running

"Stephen Wolstenholme" wrote in message
...
On Tue, 1 Jul 2008 23:17:42 +0100, Rusty Hinge 2
wrote:


You should always peel parsnips because the skin is toxic - at least to
insects. Whether it is to us, I've no idea.

I've not heard that parsnips can be dangerous otherwise, and I'm sure it
would be common knowledge if it were so.

I've eaten loads of roast parsnips that were just scrubbed rather than
peeled. The skin gets crisp and they taste better that way.

I'm still alive.

Same here, I almost never peel any root vegetables before cooking and it
hasn't killed me yet.


--
Chris
Ignoti nulla cupido

Christina Websell wrote:
"Rusty Hinge 2" wrote in message
k...
The message
from "Kate Morgan" contains these words:

My daughter let some of her last years parsnips go to seed and they were
in
her opinion very attractive plants. Yesterday she decided she needed the
room and so pulled them up. A passer by told her that in that state they
were very dangerous and could cause health problems, She donned gloves
and
continued to remove the plants, she left them on the ground and intends
to
burn them. She did however feel unwell last night so is it true. ?
Another
parsnip fact she was told is that the long root of the parsnip should
not be
eaten because that is toxic too.
You should always peel parsnips because the skin is toxic - at least to
insects. Whether it is to us, I've no idea.

I've not heard that parsnips can be dangerous otherwise, and I'm sure it
would be common knowledge if it were so.


I've made wine by boiling up unpeeled parsnips - and very good it was too!
Not only did I enjoy the wine, I froze the resulting parsnips (you just need
the water they're boiled in for parsnip wine) and ate them later. Must be 5
years ago now and I'm still up and running



We are another family that never peel, only scrub parsnips, the taste is
far superior. We seem fit and well, though sadly only three of mine
germinated this year so will be a famine this Winter! :-(

"Stephen Wolstenholme" wrote in message
...
On Tue, 1 Jul 2008 23:17:42 +0100, Rusty Hinge 2
wrote:


I've eaten loads of roast parsnips that were just scrubbed rather than
peeled. The skin gets crisp and they taste better that way.

I'm still alive.

Steve

Same here, on both counts.

Mary

"Broadback" wrote in message
...

We are another family that never peel, only scrub parsnips, the taste is
far superior. We seem fit and well, though sadly only three of mine
germinated this year so will be a famine this Winter! :-(

I'm not good at growing parsnips, which is a great pity because nothing you
can buy from anywhere is as good as a freshly dug parsnip from your own
garden.

That applies to most home grown fruit and vegetables of course but somehow
parsnips beat everything else.

Mary

The message
from Stephen Wolstenholme contains these words:
On Tue, 1 Jul 2008 23:17:42 +0100, Rusty Hinge 2
wrote:


You should always peel parsnips because the skin is toxic - at least to
insects. Whether it is to us, I've no idea.

I've not heard that parsnips can be dangerous otherwise, and I'm sure it
would be common knowledge if it were so.

I've eaten loads of roast parsnips that were just scrubbed rather than
peeled. The skin gets crisp and they taste better that way.

I'm still alive.

You're not an insect, and I've no idea whether the toxins in the skin
are thermolabile.

Besides, you may be alive, but can you guarantee that your quality of
life and your life-expectancy is at the same level (or better) than
before you took to eating scrubbers - er - roast scrubbed parsnips?

--
Rusty
Direct reply to: horrid dot squeak snailything zetnet point co period uk
Separator in search of a sig

The message
from "Christina Websell" contains
these words:

I've made wine by boiling up unpeeled parsnips - and very good it was too!
Not only did I enjoy the wine, I froze the resulting parsnips (you
just need
the water they're boiled in for parsnip wine) and ate them later.
Must be 5
years ago now and I'm still up and running

I was taught to make parsnip wine by our housekeeper, a country lass,
sometime round 1950. I was ten (and my parents had no objection to my
learning to make parsnip wine, and dandelion wine!), and I only got the
sugar (which was rationed) because I didn't take sugar in my tea, of
which I have always partaken, shall we say, in good measure...

One of the instructions was to peel the parsnips. BTW, carrot skins are
also toxic to insects. I've discovered over the years that there is a
correlation between eating carrots and ageing. The more carrots you eat,
the older you get.

I haven't tested this against other foods, but I suspect that the
correlation might hold good there too.

Moral: stop eating, and live forever.

--
Rusty
Direct reply to: horrid dot squeak snailything zetnet point co period uk
Separator in search of a sig

The message
from Broadback contains these words:

We are another family that never peel, only scrub parsnips, the taste is
far superior. We seem fit and well, though sadly only three of mine
germinated this year so will be a famine this Winter! :-(

I'm so sorry to hear that. It must be terrible when some of your family
doesn't germinate...

--
Rusty
Direct reply to: horrid dot squeak snailything zetnet point co period uk
Separator in search of a sig

The message
from "Mary Fisher" contains these words:
"Broadback" wrote in message
...

We are another family that never peel, only scrub parsnips, the taste is
far superior. We seem fit and well, though sadly only three of mine
germinated this year so will be a famine this Winter! :-(

I'm not good at growing parsnips, which is a great pity because nothing you
can buy from anywhere is as good as a freshly dug parsnip from your own
garden.

That applies to most home grown fruit and vegetables of course but somehow
parsnips beat everything else.

I concur.

When I was very small (I'm told) parsnip was my favourite vegetable. I
went off them in my teens, but rediscovered the delights of roast
parsnips (peeled!) round the Sunday joint.

À propos de rien, when I was four I was at boarding school in Seaford,
while my stepfather-to-be was OIC an anti-aircraft battery at Newhaven.
One weekend my mother took me (on foot) to the battery, and on the way,
we happened upon a piece of land where tanks had been wallowing. "Is
that the Officers' Mess?" I asked.

At the battery they were firing at a drogue which was being towed a good
mile behind an aircraft (Boodly RAF - no trust!) and when they'd
stopped, we continued.

The Ole Man's batman (not Batman) had been warned of my visit, and had
prepared a treat - bananana sandwiches.

Here comes the on-topicality -

He'd boiled young parsnips and added sugar as he mashed them. Try it -
sweetened mashed parsnip is quite indistinguishable from banananana - if
you've never had a banananana, that is.

--
Rusty
Direct reply to: horrid dot squeak snailything zetnet point co period uk
Separator in search of a sig

On Wed, 2 Jul 2008 08:35:12 +0100, "Mary Fisher"
wrote:

I'm not good at growing parsnips, which is a great pity because nothing you
can buy from anywhere is as good as a freshly dug parsnip from your own
garden.

The best and freshest seed comes from plants left to go to seed. I've
done it, with no problems.

Pam in Bristol

"Rusty Hinge 2" wrote in message
k...
The message
from "Mary Fisher" contains these words:
"Broadback" wrote in message
...

We are another family that never peel, only scrub parsnips, the taste
is
far superior. We seem fit and well, though sadly only three of mine
germinated this year so will be a famine this Winter! :-(

I'm not good at growing parsnips, which is a great pity because nothing
you
can buy from anywhere is as good as a freshly dug parsnip from your own
garden.

That applies to most home grown fruit and vegetables of course but
somehow
parsnips beat everything else.

I concur.

When I was very small (I'm told) parsnip was my favourite vegetable. I
went off them in my teens, but rediscovered the delights of roast
parsnips (peeled!) round the Sunday joint.

À propos de rien, when I was four I was at boarding school in Seaford,
while my stepfather-to-be was OIC an anti-aircraft battery at Newhaven.
One weekend my mother took me (on foot) to the battery, and on the way,
we happened upon a piece of land where tanks had been wallowing. "Is
that the Officers' Mess?" I asked.

At the battery they were firing at a drogue which was being towed a good
mile behind an aircraft (Boodly RAF - no trust!) and when they'd
stopped, we continued.

The Ole Man's batman (not Batman) had been warned of my visit, and had
prepared a treat - bananana sandwiches.

Here comes the on-topicality -

He'd boiled young parsnips and added sugar as he mashed them. Try it -
sweetened mashed parsnip is quite indistinguishable from banananana - if
you've never had a banananana, that is.

Nice story, thanks. But I prefer parsnips to bananananas any day.

Mary

"Rusty Hinge 2" wrote in message
k...
The message
from Broadback contains these words:

We are another family that never peel, only scrub parsnips, the taste is
far superior. We seem fit and well, though sadly only three of mine
germinated this year so will be a famine this Winter! :-(

I'm so sorry to hear that. It must be terrible when some of your family
doesn't germinate...

Mine have germinated quite enough, thanks. When offered double or quit they
doubled. Thankfully the grandchildren don't seem to know what to do.

Mary