On 10/06/2010 02:24 PM, Judith in France wrote:
[]
None of my neighbours know it as a veg in my village, although they
said years ago they grew it for the animals. I have seen it for sale
in a market at Issoire but they are tiny specimens and yes, the man
selling them was English!

Hi Judith! Hope you're well. Maples still have their leaves on, but
you should send me your mailing address (to my regular email, of course).

Our local grower lets the parsnips get pretty big, and they are a hit at
the markets, he often runs out. There's a biodynamic guy as has 'em
too. What none of them have figured out is, they get better after a
frost, so you've got to leave them in the ground long enough. Ah me.

cheers,

-E

"David in Normandy" wrote ...
Janet wrote:
BobHsays...
"Sacha" wrote ...
, "Bob Hobden" said:
"Chris" wrote
Why have potatoes replaced parsnips as a staple?
Parsnips seem to have all the advantages.
Maybe there are commercial factors?

Seeing as I find roast parsnip revolting whereas I love crispy roast
potatoes I find it totally understandable.

LOL! My daughter has to leave the kitchen when I'm preparing parsnips.
She loathes them so much that they have to be roasted separately from
all
other meat or veg so as not to taint them!

Roasted it tastes like it's been marinated in perfume to me, absolutely
horrid.
Now in a casserole with all the other root veg and a few dried beans all
covering some beef with dumplings on the top, absolute heaven. :-)

Have you tried it in parsnip curry soup? Hot and spicy.


I love parsnips and ditto curries and soups, but found parsnip curry soup
revolting. Parsnips seem to evoke more strong likes and dislikes than
Marmite! lol

Not tried the soup Janet, very wary of Parsnip.
Marmite is also revolting IMO but unfortunately my wife likes it, it's all a
bit like that old advert (or was years ago!). :-(

--
Regards
Bob Hobden
W.of London. UK

wrote in message ...
In article ,
Stewart Robert Hinsley wrote:

Common wisdom, for what it's worth, is that potatoes became a staple
because they produced a higher yield per acre then other crops.

I'm mildly curious as to when parsnips (as opposed to carrots,
beetroots, turnips and swedes) were a staple, and as to what the
advantages of parsnips are.

I believe that the evidence for the former is scant, but the answer
to the second is a higher calorific content and less liable to rot
over winter.


Good job potatoes came in, I dislike parsnips. I will eat them to be polite
if they are offered but otherwise they will never be on my menu.
I cooked them for my German friend when she was staying with me. She'd
never seen them, let alone eaten them and she loved them, so she went home
with a packet of parsnip seeds.
Tina