Parsnips

Geoff,
It doesn't have to be a frost, just a prolonged spell of colder weather should suffice.

 

Actually all you need to do is to blanch them and freeze them. It has the same effect as frost!

 

Well thats sorted then - typical english summer, well this year then :D

 

I would imagine Pal, that once the roots are blanched they are in effect dead, so any change between starch and sugar would not take place.

 

Since the change from starch to sugar is a chemical one not dependent on any life process then,whether the root is alive or dead has no bearing on the process. Maybe ,maybe not, but in our experience, frozen parsnips are sweeter than ones straight from the garden which have not been frosted.

 

Must admit I've not tried it so you must be right.

Just seems a shame to freeze fresh veg when you dont have to.

 

We don't normally, but when we lived on a south facing sea level sand dune, frost was not a common occurrence, so the best way to get sweet parsnips was to freeze them. Now we live in a frost pocket, we do not need to any more!