How to Choose, Store and Prepare Salsify Vegetables?
Selection of Salsify: Frequently, you will find salsify in the market with dirt still clinging to the root. That is fine. Salsify will be brownish in color, longer and thinner than a carrot or parsnip, sometimes with lots of little rootless protruding all along the length (which probably led to its Italian nickname of priest’s beard). Scorzonera is almost black. While the roots look slightly dry, they should not be dried out, wrinkled, shriveled, or limp. Look for the firmest, straightest roots. Avoid any that are not in prime condition, show any signs of mold, or have slight cuts that may have made them begin to weep. I have bought peeled, cut-up, parboiled salsify in a small cryovac plastic package. If these packages have been handled well, the salsify may be used in soups and stews, but I don’t think it is very satisfactory in dishes where the vegetable is meant to stand on its own. Salsify is available fresh from late summer through the first hard freeze. Once in a while, if you li
