Pastinaca sativa aka Wild Parsnip

The parsnip (Pastinaca sativa) is a root vegetable closely related to carrot and parsley, all belonging to the flowering plant family Apiaceae. It is a biennial plant usually grown as an annual. Its long, tuberous root has cream-colored skin and flesh and becomes sweeter in flavor after winter frosts. The parsnip is native to Eurasia and has been used as a vegetable since antiquity, cultivated by the Romans. It was used as a sweetener before the arrival of cane sugar in Europe. The plant has a rosette of pinnate, mid-green leaves in its first growing season. If unharvested, it produces a flowering stem topped by an umbel of small yellow flowers in its second growing season, later producing pale brown, flat, winged seeds. By this time, the stem has become woody, and the taproot inedible. Parsnips are usually cooked but can also be eaten raw. The flesh has a sweet flavor, even more so than carrots, but the taste is different. It is high in vitamins, antioxidants, and minerals (especially potassium); and also contains both soluble and insoluble dietary fiber. A bit of frost will sweeten their flavor, and the roots can be stored and used throughout the winter. Parsnips are best cultivated in deep, stone-free soil. They are even easier to grow than their close cousin, carrots. However, the plant is attacked by the carrot fly and other insect pests, as well as viruses and fungal diseases, of which canker is the most serious. Handling the stems and foliage can cause a skin rash if the skin is exposed to sunlight after handling.