Parsnips & Onions

We've talked about onions here before.

We've talked about parsnips, too. But only briefly. Not enough. Not nearly enough...

I love parsnips!

Store parsnips in buckets of dirt, like carrots. If you did this last fall, you likely have some good eating still tucked away in that dirt.

Plant parsnips early in the spring and make sure you have fresh seeds. (Old parsnip seeds won't do a thing but disappoint you.) Then wait. And wait. Because parsnips are slow growers. But they're definitely worth the wait. Parsnips don't mind if you forget to pull them from the garden before the first frost. In fact, they get even sweeter when bitten with a bit of frost!

Here's one good thing you can do with parsnips...Wash parsnips. Then use a vegetable peeler to peel the outer layer off. But don't stop there... keep peeling. Peel off layer after layer of parsnip, right down to the core. (Sometimes parsnip cores can be tough, so use a thick parsnip to make this and just stop peeling when you get to the core.)

Thinly slice up some onions, too.

Then saute the parsnip peelings and thinly sliced onions in a bit of butter or oil. Add a pinch of salt and pepper. Saute them slowly, over gentle heat, stirring frequently, until they soften and start to caramelize. They will get sweet and oh, so good! Eat them just like that, they make a nice side dish. Or pile them on top of a sandwich like this...