Not everyone knows that a parsnip is a vegetable, and not just a great Russian poet. This plant, despite its usefulness, was undeservedly forgotten.
The homeland of parsnip is Altai Territory and the south of the Urals. The heyday of the popularity of this vegetable came in the XII-XVII centuries. In Russia, it was used along with turnips as a staple food in the winter. However, with the spread of potatoes, the popularity of parsnips gradually waned. Today, very few gardeners grow this vegetable, despite the fact that it has an unusually pleasant spicy taste and is of great benefit to the body.
Beneficial features
According to the healing properties, parsnip can be compared with ginseng. It contains a huge amount of vitamins and minerals and at the same time is a low-calorie product. Therefore, parsnip can safely be called a dietary product.
The use of this vegetable helps to improve metabolism, normalize the digestive system, as well as various glands. In addition, parsnip is a vegetable that can improve the circulatory system. Due to its diuretic properties, it is effective for removing stones, sand and salts from the kidneys. Parsnip is also effective for sleep disorders, a decrease in sexual activity.
You can endlessly list what health problems a parsnip can solve. Grass (or rather leaves), root crops and seeds - all these parts of the plant are endowed with healing abilities.
Despite the huge number of useful properties, it should be remembered that there are contraindications that do not allow to use this vegetable. Parsnip should not be used to treat children and the elderly. It should also be remembered that a wild plant is poisonous.
Even such a large list of useful properties and a small number of contraindications did not lead to the prevalence of parsnip among gardeners.
Cultivation agricultural
The low popularity of parsnips can be explained by the fact that it is quite difficult to achieve success even at the stage of emergence of shoots. The fact is that the seeds of this vegetable retain their germination for only one year.
If we talk about which group the parsnip belongs to, this vegetable can be described as a biennial plant. This means that in the first year, a root crop grows from it and only in the second - seeds appear that can be collected and used for sowing.
To obtain high-quality planting material, several root crops should be left to winter. As soon as it becomes warm, they will begin to grow and give a large bush. Therefore, they should choose a place where they will not interfere. At the beginning of summer, umbrellas appear on the parsnip. It blooms with small yellow flowers. The first seeds form in about a month. Since they ripen for a long time and are extremely uneven, it is best to collect them regularly. To do this, just shake the umbrellas.
By the way, overwintered fruits in the soil can also be used as food. This should be done before the leaves appear. This will help replenish the supply of vitamins in the spring.
There are a large number of varieties of parsnip, its fruits can be conical or rounded. The following varieties are distinguished by good keeping quality: Student, Best of All, Round Early, White Stork. Moreover, varieties that give rounded fruits have lower yields, but they ripen much faster.
Parsnip is a vegetable that has a very strong resistance to cold. Therefore, it can be sown in early spring, as soon as the soil warms up to seven degrees Celsius. The high content of essential oils in the seeds leads to the fact that their germination is very low. They sprout only after 10-20 days.
Parsnip loves sunny places. The first two months it grows slowly. Care for the parsnip is timely watering and weeding, regular cultivation. In sunny weather, parsnip leaves secrete essential oils that can leave burns on the skin. Therefore, care should be carried out with gloves or in cloudy weather. Parsnip is resistant to disease, but during the flowering period, this crop is often attacked by various insects.
Root crops are harvested in late autumn. For storage, it is best to leave solid fruits with a white-cream color. They are stored in the basement, after drying and cutting the tops. It is important to remember that it is best to eat medium-sized fruits, as the flesh of large ones may turn out to be lignified.
And finally, another interesting fact - parsnip practically does not accumulate nitrates. But this is very relevant in the modern world!
It is unfortunate that such a valuable vegetable is undeservedly forgotten. There is something to think about and, before it is too late, to acquire and sow such a useful plant!