One Alaskans greenhouse

[Alasgun]

Today i brought in the first of the 2nd crop Broccilli and it’s a beauty!
Then i lifted the Parsnips and while they are very uniform with only 2/3 distorted ones; they are quite small. I’m attributing this to a very late, cold Spring and more rain than i’ve ever seen. About the size of small carrots.
Still a thank you Lord day; even though this work was done in a drizzling rain.

 

[akroberts]

Today i brought in the first of the 2nd crop Broccilli and it’s a beauty!
Then i lifted the Parsnips and while they are very uniform with only 2/3 distorted ones; they are quite small. I’m attributing this to a very late, cold Spring and more rain than i’ve ever seen. About the size of small carrots.
Still a thank you Lord day; even though this work was done in a drizzling rain.

Can you tell me what the parsnips taste like? I want to plant some next year but don't want to have it be a waste of good garden space.

 

[Alasgun]

Well, the usual answer would be “it taste like Chicken”!

I believe Parsnips are more popular in G. Britain than here and there are numerous ways to cook them. We steam ours and eat them with a little butter. They have a somewhat sweet flavor that improves with frost. They say you can leave them in the ground thru the winter and pull them as you want. Not up here!!
As i pen this, im realizing how inadequate i am at describing how something taste simply because i have nothing to compare them to.
If you can find some locally or at a farmers market, you'd be able to see for yourself.
As you can see they are deep rooted and require fairly loose soil. Due to our short season; early on id start them inside and transplant them out. This was very time consuming and resulted in a LOT of distorted roots, which are hard to store. They take 2-3 weeks to germinate too so if you plant some, be patient.
A long germination period and a short season keep us from getting nice Parsnips. I’ve seen them at our specialty grocery that were as big around as my fist and 18 inches long.
You are in a great geographic area and i’d imagine you can grow nice ones, with a little effort.

 

[akroberts]

Well, the usual answer would be “it taste like Chicken”!

I believe Parsnips are more popular in G. Britain than here and there are numerous ways to cook them. We steam ours and eat them with a little butter. They have a somewhat sweet flavor that improves with frost. They say you can leave them in the ground thru the winter and pull them as you want. Not up here!!
As i pen this, im realizing how inadequate i am at describing how something taste simply because i have nothing to compare them to.
If you can find some locally or at a farmers market, you'd be able to see for yourself.
As you can see they are deep rooted and require fairly loose soil. Due to our short season; early on id start them inside and transplant them out. This was very time consuming and resulted in a LOT of distorted roots, which are hard to store. They take 2-3 weeks to germinate too so if you plant some, be patient.
A long germination period and a short season keep us from getting nice Parsnips. I’ve seen them at our specialty grocery that were as big around as my fist and 18 inches long.
You are in a great geographic area and i’d imagine you can grow nice ones, with a little effort.

Thank you for the info. I will try to find some

 

[digitS']

Yes, parsnips and carrots don't compare that well, except for texture, somewhat.

How about this? They are somewhat nutty and have caramel-like flavors.

Not for parsnips but I sometimes see a flavor description of "earthy." I don't really know what that means. I think that it might just mean that "my imagination ran to where they grow and were harvested." Personally, I may have willingly tasted dirt as a 3 or 4 year old but don't remember having done it since ... well, there was that time in early elementary school when someone, and it may have been me, was tasting the sand in the sandbox ...

 

[Alasgun]

A while back we had a bad wind that layed all my 2nd crop Broccoli flat! Not wanting to admit defeat or loose the plants; i gently stood them back up and supported them. They seemed to do just fine except that from then till now they’ve had that hot day wilted look all day everyday, even on days of full rain! Ironically all of them set fruit and are developing the heads just like they normally would. After taking that first head yesterday i pulled the plant; expecting the normal dinner plate size root ball. You can imagine my surprise to see just a few, scraggly roots on this stem! I’m sure the wind caused this damage but it blows me away to realize the tenacity for life these plants are showing. Thank you Lord for the Broccoli to eat And some food for thought! ‍

 

[Alasgun]

Today we lifted the Carrots and are very pleased with the yield, uniformity, size and quality. Since i use a dibble board to space and plant all this stuff i don't have more or less of anything but the total mass changes some depending on the year. The Bolero’s are still at the top of the leader board with us!
And another Thank you Lord; we will still be eating these next year when the new crop is ready, about this time!
I’m also very careful to pick any bad pieces out of the tops before bundling them for the rabbits. This year i put up 20 of them. This will provide green’s long after everything else is frozen and gone! One peculiarity i noted years ago, this stuff does not mold in bundles like this; it will wilt but that’s all and the Rabbits love it.

 

[heirloomgal]

Those carrots are just beautiful.

 

[Alasgun]

This is great; im realizing that with each passing day im running out of things to talk about!
Today the Beets were lifted and washed and trimmed and currently in the barn for a couple day cure. They took the place of the Carrots which were bagged and moved to the refrigerator.

That big gulp i mentioned earlier (this years compost bin) has been completed now excepting what little bits of Kale, Chard and Broccoli stems that remain.

Still a katrillion things to do but the fall transition is nearly complete!

 

[Alasgun]

The garbage bag held this years Comfrey and after running thru the hammer-mill if was greatly reduced. It’s back on the floor for a little further drying; inside this sink cabinet is the manifold for the floor heat and a great place to dry something quick!
Once it’s real dry i’ll bag it. If i can triple the production i’ll have enough to give everything a dose in the spring. The plan is to add
20-40 more root cuttings this coming spring so this should be an easy goal.

Last Tuesday i started this batch of Comfrey tea, here’s what it looked like after a couple days. Each day now im stirring it back down and each time it’s getting darker! Before long i’ll be using it on some of the indoor stuff, via foliar.

For years; off and on, i’ve dabbled with “foliar feeding” various stuff and always see great benefit. After acquiring a couple electric sprayers i’ve noticed i’m far more likely to continue with it. The user friendliness and simplicity are far greater than a hand spray bottle. The coverage is perfect and the mist is so much finer too!
The only problem i have is trying to decide between Humic/Fulvic; liquid Kelp, Lacto Bacillus serum and now Comfrey tea. Unless i screw something up by going too heavy on my quantities it doesn't seem to matter; the plants really seem to appreciate my efforts!
This is the latest sprayer, relegated to indoor service!