Growing and Cooking with Parsnips and Sorrel

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Fragrant parsnip roots are complemented by the lemony flavor of sorrel leaves in late-winter dishes.
Fragrant parsnip roots are complemented by the lemony flavor of sorrel leaves in late-winter dishes.
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You can harvest parsnips anytime, but the roots will be sweetest after a spell of frosty weather.
You can harvest parsnips anytime, but the roots will be sweetest after a spell of frosty weather.
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Red-veined sorrel brings a zing to any dish, while also offering a delicate, rosy beauty.
Red-veined sorrel brings a zing to any dish, while also offering a delicate, rosy beauty.

Spring begins at different times in different places, but its arrival happens in a predictable sequence. Southern Californians welcome daffodils in February and Mainers anxiously await them in April, but no matter where they’re growing, they always bloom before tulips. It’s the same with edible perennials, such as sorrel, chives and dandelions — one heralds the appearance of the next.

Sorrel is the horse to bet on — so early that it’s up as snowdrops bloom. What a welcome sight it is! When it comes, we’re ready to use its lemony flavor to spark up salads and give a fresh taste to soups.

Meanwhile, the root cellar empties out as remaining stores turn spongy and sprout new growth. Even in the dark, they know it’s spring. But one root vegetable remains crisp in the garden, still in fine form. That’s the parsnip, and it will be waiting to be dug as you eagerly start picking sorrel’s bright, young leaves.

They make a good pair of opposites, as extra-early leaf meets patient root. Their flavors are complementary. Parsnips get sweeter and more flavorful when cold sets in, and by spring they’re like honey. Sorrel’s tartness is the perfect foil.

What are Parsnips?

  • Published on Mar 3, 2016
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