Availability and Selection

Although available year-round, the most flavorful parsnips are harvested right after the first frost, when their starches turn to sugar, sweetening the root and adding an herbaceous, nutty flavor. Choose roots that are smooth, with pale creamy skin free of cracks and blemishes. They should feel heavy for their size, with knobby heads and fleshy forms that taper to a long root end. Parsnips are always sold with their green tops already removed. Pass up roots that have started to sprout, an indication of a fibrous, woody core.