GO BEYOND FOUR SEASONS

EARLY

Overwintered Parsnips
Grown by Rosendo in Hadley, Massachusetts.

Overwintered Parsnips are in. Rosendo planted his seeds last April and began harvesting them last week – giving his outstanding roots almost a year in the ground. Relentless in his pursuit of flavor, Rosendo takes an incredible risk by leaving his roots in the ground for so long.

As temperatures drop over winter, the plant cells convert starches to sugars to protect them from freezing. The result: sweetness entirely unrivaled by plants harvested in the fall. Where some roots cannot stand freezing temperatures, parsnips can handle being left in the field throughout winter. The extra exposure to hard frosts means parsnips full of sugars.

Last year, the extreme fluctuation in winter temperatures and lack of protective snow cover resulted in frozen ponds in lower portions of their field, damaging most of their crop. This means taking up valuable land for a crop that may not survive. Relentless in his pursuit of flavor, Rosendo takes the risk and delivers exceptional roots year after year.

LATE

Variegated Grumolo
Grown by Graziano in Veneto, Italy.

Over 40 years of seed saving and selection produces an incredible spectrum of colors and crisp Grumolos with delicate, bittersweet flavor. Examples like this are rare in commercial agriculture, where uniformity is often upheld as a quality marker.

Entirely Red and Green Grumolo are the most common varieties — their seeds are readily available. Looking across Graziano’s fields, you’ll see heads rippled with waves of yellow and green right through to pale pink and deep oxblood, vibrant hues drawn out further by the cold. Once harvested, each head is individually pared back and shaped by hand, losing its bitter outer leaves and leaving a delicate, tender heart.