December harvest
I dug my parsnips this afternoon—all two of them. I sowed a whole row, but the seeds' germination was slow and inconsistent, and then once the sprouts emerged they proved to be irresistible to nibbling pests. But protected by weeds the two brave survivors grew to full size among the slightly more successful carrot crop, and are now resplendent in the crisper drawer awaiting Leah's culinary genius. I could have waited even longer: I'm told that parsnips get sweeter after a freeze, and I don't know if what we've had so far qualifies. Certainly, they would have been fine in the ground until early spring had we wanted to leave them. But I wanted to take advantage of this recent warm snap to get more of the beds ready for winter, and the two plants were standing in the way of progress. We'll enjoy them more now, anyways. Next year (always next year) will see more success: some to eat in December and some to save for spring.