[Growster...]

Last year, we grew a 30' row of parsnips, and most germinated.

The slugs took a few, and I caught up with the gaps with a few more, sown and brought on in paper pots.

As last spring was very dry, and we had no real humus in the soil (new plot), I used a lot of liquid manure when watering, which gave them HUGE shoulders...

... and some had about five or six fingers too.

So with each veg weighing about a pound and a half, we finished up with something akin to that thing in the film 'Alien', but the flavour from the fingers was outstanding, and I'm thinking that with more of a linear surface to separate from the 'body', there should be more of the surface goodness and flavour...

So - purists will say they want the cylinder perhaps; Growster will say the yield was excellent, and the thin delicate strips were nicer to cook and eat.

Who's right?

[sowitgrowit]

I'd say if you grew them and enjoyed them then you're right.

Grow what you enjoy to eat!

I like a misshapen veg; any rude shapes? Haha

[steved]

Mine were like this last year also, some were straight too and they both tasted fantastic.
The only ones to insist theyre straight are the supermarkets(so its easier for us to peel the chemically tainted outer!) and show growers.
I grow to  eat so dont care what they look like and very rarely peel anything because i know it aint got any nasties on it!
I'd say you were right.
Steve

[allot2learn]

Don't eat with your eyes, eat with your tastebuds.

[Salmo]

Shoulders !! Fingers !! These thing have a life of their own.

[DD.]

OK, it sounds good.

So, how do I stop growing straight 4 1/2 pounders?

(This is just a poor excuse to churn out that photo again!)

[Gandan57]

Last year I spent many hours sowing seeds individually into cardboard tubes, then planting the resulting seedlings into compost filled, cone shaped holes made with an iron bar.

The result? Massive roots that needed excavating, that were just about inedible because of woodiness.

I`ve noticed that parsnips sold in supermarkets are not much bigger than carrots, so this year I have three packets of a variety called Lancer, and these will be broadcast direct in a block, as I do with my carrot seed This method will produce smaller roots which hopefully we can enjoy eating.

[mumofstig]

snap mine looked good but were rejected as too woody by my duaghter, so I'm trying the closer together thing this year as well