The world's first hybrid parsnip. Parsnip Gladiator F1 is fast maturing with consistent high quality flesh, silky-smooth white skin. Very good canker resistance and 'true' sweet parsnip flavour. Parsnip Gladiator F1 is excellent for exhibition.
For long parsnips you need a deeply dug soil which has been manured for a previous crop. However, they will do well on ordinary well drained and cultivated soil. Sow seeds April to June, 1cm (½ inch) deep in drills 30cm (12 inches) apart. Sow clusters of 4 seeds every 20cm (8 inches) and thin out to the strongest seedlings after germination. Germination is very slow and it is helpful to sow a pinch of lettuce seeds between each cluster of seeds. They will mark the row and can be cut before the parsnips need the room.
Harvest the roots from autumn onwards, leaving them in the ground until required.
Parsnips are a good source of energy boosting carbohydrates and are high in Vitamin C and potassium.
Parsnips are much underrated mainly because of a lack of imagination in cooking. Fried parsnips can be a gourmet masterpiece. Boil first and finish off in a frying pan with a knob of butter and sprinkle with brown sugar. Thus prepared they acquire a particularly crisp and sweet taste.