Parsnips. The less-vibrant (in color, not flavor) cousin of the carrot. Purchased from an incredibly adorable young girl at the Farmer’s Market. I think the taster and I both wanted to bring her home with us more so than the actual parsnips, although he probably won’t admit to that.

Nutrition:

Given their dull color, you may not believe that the parsnip has decent nutrition facts – it even has more vitamins and minerals than the carrot!

1 parsnip – 9” long

114 calories

6.4 g fiber

2.1 g protein

Flavor:

I really enjoyed the parsnips!  I decided to cut them up in fry shapes and roast until golden brown and I was amazed at how juicy they were, even after roasting! They were especially delicious dipped in a sriracha-spiked ketchup. I wasn’t convinced that I would like them, but I’ll be buying them more often, especially if that adorable girl keeps selling them.

Do you like parsnips? How do you eat them?

Always on the lookout for new and interesting fruits and vegetables and not always as aware of the prices that go along with it – does anyone else have trouble estimating prices by pound? – I came across the cherimoya, a hybrid fruit of sorts with flavors reminiscent of papaya, pineapple and guava. Cherimoya’s are native to Chile, Ecuador and Peru, which makes me feel a tinge of guilt and a glimmer of hope that mine didn’t travel that far.

While Mark Twain described it as “the most delicious fruit known to men,” I’m not sure I share that same enthusiasm. The texture was a bit grainy and it wasn’t as juicy as I would have liked. Perhaps it wasn’t quite ripe, but at $6/piece, I’m not sure I want to try again. The guava taste was the flavor that stood out for me and while it was enjoyable, it just isn’t enough to justify this purchase again.

Nutritionally, they are good sources of calcium, Vitamin C and niacin but don’t eat the rind or the seeds – they can be poisonous!

Have you seen or tried cherimoya?