A Rutabaga by Any Other Name

It was just last week that we could finally get into the vegetable garden at the Samuel F.B. Morse Estate where I volunteer.  Since last fall, cabbages and leeks have been frozen in their paths.  While we were digging things out, we stumbled on some turnips we didn't know we had grown.  We remembered putting out seed, but nothing ever seemed to have sprouted.  So it was a delightful surprise to find five or six respectable looking specimens.  I actually bring this up here because there were a few of us present who knew whether they were parsnips, turnips or rutabagas.  Sadder still, no one wanted them what ever they were.

Are turnips, parsnips and rutabagas interchangeable?  I suppose if you don't like any of them, they are.  Otherwise, not so much.  We'll start with the obvious.  Parsnips are long and tapered, like a fat carrot.  Both rutabagas and turnips are bulb shaped.  Parsnips (Pastinaca sativa) are also sometimes grouped with salsify and scorzonera, two root groups I confused in an earlier article.  However, parsnips belong in a different family from these two.  parsnips are part of the Umbelliferae family which includes, carrots, fennel, celery, parsley, dill and some 200 others.  Most of the plants in this family have umbrella shaped flowers.  Many, including parsnips, are biennial, meaning they produce seed in their second season.  These seeds can be difficult to germinate, as we found out at the Morse Estate, and they also have a struggle breaking through encrusted soil.  It is recommended that you cover the seed with sand, peat or perlite instead of garden soil, to make it easier for the seedlings to break through.  I

If you are fortunate in your parsnip bounty, you don't have to bring them all in in the fall.  When left in the ground through winter, parsnips develop a delicate sweetness.  If your winters are really severe and you don't want to risk losing your harvest or if you might want some before the ground thaws, they can be dug and stored in sawdust, leaves or sand for several months.  Trim the tops back to about two inches and keep them at a temperature just above freezing.

For seed saving purposes, parsnips will easily cross pollinate with different varieties.  Each variety should be segregated by at least one mile.  They are insect pollinated, so if you have wild parsnip growing in your area, take this into account too.  Some good, old varieties include "The Student" and "Hollow Crown".  "Hollow Crown"

Go To Page: 1 2