Here at the Storehouse, we are potty about our parsnips. Hearty, tasty, and nutritious, they are the ideal winter vegetable. Roast them, mash them, chop them in a stew, they are warming and filling whatever you do with them! While we suggest you use them to make a delicious soup (watch this space for a recipe soon!), parsnips are easily fermented and were used to make both beer and wine in the Mediaeval Period.
Parsnips have been grown in the UK since Ancient Roman times, and while they do have a lot of natural sugar, they don't get sweet until after the first frost. Ours are grown in East Lothian on Tom Elder's Organic farm, and transported to us via electric van, so their food miles are about as low as possible.
Parsnips have nearly 3 times the amount of Vitamin C compared with carrots (17mg per 100g vs 5.9mg per 100g), and if that's not enough to tempt you to try some, the Ancient Romans believed them to have aphrodisiac properties.