Parsnips!

Yesterday, I dug what I thought was the last few parsnips. If you had asked me how many where in the ground, I would have replied about six…Mr Beezhold, the hungry bunny, has been eating the tops like mad, so it was hard to tell. When I dug in, I found at least two dozen solid roots. Some were intertwined. Some reached down into the clay a foot below. A few were small and popped right out, but they just kept coming. I gave them all a quick bath with the hose, roasted three for dinner, and began to re-plan our meals for the week. Parsnip and Cheddar soup, here we come.

Other parsnip options:

·         Sautéed with butter

·         Parsnip muffins

·         Parsnip cake with cream cheese frosting

·         Gratin with leeks, fennel, and potatoes, garlic

·         Winter Minestrone soup

Parsnip and Cheddar Soup

Chop equal amounts of parsnips (peeled) and potatoes, one medium onion, and about half the amount of carrots.  Barely cover with water, add salt, pepper, and some caraway seed and dill, and boil gently until very soft. Chunk about a quarter of a pound of cheddar. Toss the veggies and the cheese together into the cuisnart and puree. Return to the pot, add milk to achieve the right consistency, and heat slowly. Eat for dinner with cornbread and salad.