Topic: Yummy parsnips

[Derekthefox]

Another home wine maker powerspade? Parsnip wine is a new trial for me, do you have a good recipe? Perhaps post it in the Drinks section? One of today's tasks is to get another two gallons of parsnip wine into the bucket ...

just one or two who are quite mad

I believe I definitely fit into that category Lorna  ;)

[lorna]

Glow777. Meant to mention I can't stand parsnips or any other root veg. This coming year will be my first for growing a few veg. As one daughter in particular loves parsnips I will try a few for her. I do love raw carrots but I am a real "green" veg addict.......Lorna.

[Derekthefox]

Lorna, as a lover of raw carrots, do you harvest the 'thinnings' during perhaps june, when they are pencil thick. Our family are almost rapturous about these, consumed fresh with mayonaise as an appetiser. To me this is one of the secret joys of growing fresh vegetables.

[glow777]

Lorna, as a lover of raw carrots, do you harvest the 'thinnings' during perhaps june, when they are pencil thick.

No one grows carrots on our allotments apart from inside/undercover. The place is awash wth carrot fly. Unfortunately I wasn't told about this and made all the classic mistakes.
4 rows of carrots and every one so bad that when they were pulled they were either shredded or broke in half :-(

[Derekthefox]

That is terrible news Glow, I grow mine in with my onions, they seem to do fine. There is evidence of carrot fly, but as my neighbour commented, my carrots are big enough that there is enough for everyone ...

[lorna]

glow777 Now you have me worried, as I said this coming year will be my first for growing veg. Carrot fly? Oh gawd maybe I will buy my carrots to eat raw as I do now from the supermarket.

[Derekthefox]

Or do as I do lorna. The onions seem to do the trick ok. Just a few in the row should be enough.

[glow777]

They've tried everything at our place even the old hands struggle, those that can be bothered grow indoors but as it's not a high (monetary) value crop a lot don't bother.

It really was upsetting though because most of the carrots looked a good size. May try growing indoors in tubes/drainpipes just so I can appreciate the taste of home grown carrots.

Other than that we're pretty pest free give or take the birds, rabbits, slugs and *^(&% caterpillas, must be the cold!

Sorry seemed to wander off the parsnip theme

[Derekthefox]

You mention it not being a high value crop, but for me carrots are a staple, so I endeavour to grow enough for the year (feeding 4 ... ). I reckon I cropped well over 100kg of carrots this year, so even at lowest prices (20p/kg), that is £20 on the one crop, outlay 3 packets of seed .. perhaps £2 tops. And of course they taste like carrots should taste. However, I appreciate that there are many crops that I can't grow, so it is a case of swings and roundabouts. Oh, to have a decent tomato crop for instance ...

[jennym]

[No one grows carrots on our allotments apart from inside/undercover. The place is awash wth carrot fly...

Do a little trial next year, it's worth a go for the taste. Sow your seed (an early type) when the soil has warmed up a bit, say late April, in a small area, (rake it to make sure that there is no carrot or parsnip debris) and immediately cover it with horticultural fleece, loosely enough so that there is room for carrot foliage, but bury the edges of the fleece with soil to keep it very secure. If you do that as soon as you've sowed, and keep it well watered, you should get a clean crop. You can do the same in October/November with early types, in a sheltered spot, I did some in the compost bin and had baby carrots in January.

[glow777]

Do a little trial next year, it's worth a go for the taste.

It's worth it just to win at the show - there's only 3 people enter carrots!
My main problem is space I have a large allotment but unfortunately share 50/50 with someone else, so cannot afford to waste space on a crop that probably wont work. Will  try tubs indoor or outside because I believe the carrot fly never flies higher than 2' off the ground. May also combine this with fleece and an onion in each one.

Incidentally my neighbour is my other main moan, she only plants an area 10' X 10' comes round once a fortnight and lets the rest go to waste. She still has her beans unpicked! and in summer the weeds made it to about 6' tall blowing seeds onto my side grrrrrrrr!!!

[glow777]

Oh, to have a decent tomato crop for instance ...

That's it then I'll swap you toms for carrots - had so many cherry tomatoes last year I couldnt give them away!

[Derekthefox]

Incidentally my neighbour is my other main moan, she only plants an area 10' X 10' comes round once a fortnight and lets the rest go to waste. She still has her beans unpicked! and in summer the weeds made it to about 6' tall blowing seeds onto my side grrrrrrrr!!!

Most sites have agreements which require the tenants to maintain their gardens. Whilst leniency is required to allow for individual circumstances, if a tenant is not maintaining their plot, then they should be required to at least provide reasons, because as you have pointed out, it affects the weed cover on your plot too.

Although I bemoan my failed crops, eg tomatoes, I am really very pleased with my yields this year, we have loads of potatoes, carrots, onions, leeks, parsnips, french and broad beans, and gallons of curry sauce in the freezer, made from pumpkins.

[Derekthefox]

Need any more space Jen? Plenty of space there for fruit ...

[jennym]

Plenty of VERY hard work though too, my plot looked like that when I took over, with the addition of the odd dumped car.

[moonbells]

glow777 Now you have me worried, as I said this coming year will be my first for growing veg. Carrot fly? Oh gawd maybe I will buy my carrots to eat raw as I do now from the supermarket.

Just put some shortish bamboo canes in the ground around the rows or blocks of carrots/snips, cover the canes with pop bottles to stop the ends shredding, pop an old net curtain (non-lacy, just the mesh type) over them and peg down with wire hoops.  That keeps the flies out! I have been using enviromesh but having discovered the hospital charity shop sells large old nets at 50p each I shall be grabbing a few so I can grow more!

Since leek moth is getting closer each year, I expect I'll eventually have to do this to my onions and leeks too :(

moonbells

[fbgrifter]

Hi Glow>>>  i'm down the road in hayfield!

[glow777]

Hi Glow>>>  I'm down the road in hayfield!

Are those the allotments with the little river running through the middle of them? The wife comes from Birch Vale so get up your way a fair bit, good blackberrying area!

[lin]

Haven't had a look at this site for a while, but you sure are a chatty lot.... I am going over to my plot today to try and get a parsnip up! I say try because they are so big and so deep that I spend a long time getting them out. But when I do they are well worth it, absolutely delicious! I always roast or boil mine (less fattening) but I bet they are nice fried too! They are just so sweet, yum.

I shall pick some leeks too, they are good but a bit skinny, think I planted too close together. And I am still enjoying my damson gin, although it ends up going out as pressies mostly. I started making jam a few years ago and that goes down well too, I put a teaspoon in porridge on a cold morning, oh dear mouth is watering and I have got to walk the dog first!

I made a soup yesterday with jerusalems, swede and some carrots (which I bought cause have run out). It's lovely and jerusalems are really tasty, just not sure about the side effects they have. They are particularly bad for producing tornados in the most healthy bodies but they're good for you, so what the heck.

I have never grown cabbages that last into the winter as some of you do, but think I shall try that this year as anything I don't eat, my rabbit does! She is a veerrry healthy rabbit, no bought food, just good healthy veg....
and

[fbgrifter]

glow>>  that's the one