Tozer Seeds America Gears Up For the Parsnip Growing Season

Tozer Seeds America gears up for the North American parsnip growing season as renewed consumer demand increases in 2015 for this sweet and succulent root vegetable.

Tozer is seeing new demand for parsnips in northern U.S. and southern Canada with Food Network claiming parsnips to be a new superfood on the rise and USA Today calling parsnips the next big thing in healthy snacking. Consumers are enjoying parsnips for their versatility–parsnips can be used in a variety of dishes or even be turned into wine–and health benefits–parsnip chips are a popular alternative to potato chips and were also featured on the hit TV series “The Biggest Loser.” Typically a winter vegetable, parsnips are now available year-round in supermarkets and farmers markets throughout the U.S.

Tozer led the development of F1 hybrid varieties with the release of Gladiator, the world’s first commercial F1 hybrid parsnip, company officials say, and the Javelin. Today varieties such as Gladiator, Javelin and Albion remain at the forefront as the preferred choice for most commercial growers, officials add. Currently, Tozer is trialing two new varieties called Warrior and Viking. Warrior is an early vigor variety with a heavier whiter skin and Viking is a whiter skin variety with a higher yield and more consistent product for roasting. Besides these hybrid varieties, Tozer still offers a range of open-pollinated parsnip varieties such as White Spear and Lancer.

“The introduction of F1 parsnip hybrids moved the market toward a washable, firm and narrower parsnip,” says Kraig Kuykendall, sales manager of Tozer Seeds America. “It enabled the production of a more consistently marketable and cost effective product.”