I love parsnips, but they don’t turn up often in my CSA basket or at the farmer’s market, so for the past couple of years I’ve been growing them in my plot in the community garden. The first year was a roaring success. I harvested half the crop in late fall and the rest in early spring for a total of close to 20 lbs. It’s a good thing we love parsnips in this house!

This past year was a much different experience. In the fall I dug up not quite 3 lbs. of parsnips and I expect I’ll get a similar amount when I harvest the rest this coming April. I suspect this relatively poor harvest was due in large part to the very dry summer we had last year. Fortunately for our parsnip desires, a friend gave us a few pounds of parsnips this winter, so we have had plenty to enjoy.

Parsnips keep well in the refrigerator for several weeks. They are good roasted alone or with other vegetables, and make a nice addition to soups and stews. They also make delicious pies. Below I share two favorite recipes for parsnip pie – one savory and one sweet. When I have a lot of parsnips on hand, like I did last year, I cook and puree some, then freeze the puree for longer storage. This is handy for when I want to make a parsnip pie.

Parsnip Pie with Onions
• 2 onions, sliced
• 3 eggs
• 1 ¼ cups milk
• 1 cup pureed parsnips (made from about ¾ lbs raw)
• ¼ cup grated cheese
• ¼ tsp. salt
• 1 uncooked pie crust

Sauté the onions in a small amount of butter or olive oil until golden and caramelized, about 10 minutes. Beat the eggs and milk together. Add the parsnips and salt and mix well. Stir in the cheese and onions. Pour into the pie crust and bake at 375° for about 45 minutes, until set.

Parsnip Custard Pie
• 1 cup milk
• 3 eggs
• ½ cup sugar
• ½ tsp. nutmeg
• ½ tsp. vanilla
• ¼ tsp. salt
• 1 cup pureed parsnips (made from about ¾ lbs raw)
• 1 uncooked pie crust

Beat the eggs and milk together. Stir in the sugar, nutmeg, vanilla, and salt. Add the parsnips and mix well. Pour into the pie crust and bake at 375° for about 45 minutes, until set.