Kitchen Garden Forum

Just in case somebody is contemplating growing Hamburg parsley next year, here are my thoughts: I grew it this year after not having done so for a long time. They have grown well, but are about half the size of the parsnips and a very similar flavour to celeriac, so, I think, next year I will do without, because I might as well get he quantity and flavour from the other two.

Hi Monika,
I was interested by your comments. Last year was the first time I had tried growing Hamburg parsley and only got a few very weedy plants.
I tried it again this year and got good sized tops but the roots were riddled with carrot fly so I've still not sampled any. The slugs have eaten huge chunks out of my celeriac so that is a disappointment too. I have still to lift the parsnips so fingers crossed.

PP, I grew the Hamburg parsley in the same fleece and micromesh 'cage' as the carrots, parsnips and celeriac which kept the carrot root fly at bay.

Can you.buybhamburg parsley in supermarkets? Don't think I've never seen it. Do you use the root like a parsnip and the foliage as a substitute for parsley?

I have never seen it for sale here either, Primrose, but it is certainly sold on the continent, particularly in Germany and Czech Republic. As I said above, the taste, shape and texture is similar to a parsnip with a celery-ish side taste. The young foliage can be used for as a herb and its taste is like a cross between parsley and celery.

I intended to grow Hamburg Parsley this year but missed the early planting. A friend who is Slovak had asked me why we only had parsley leaves in the shops, so I explained that root parsley was a bit different.
Here on the Chilterns the very stoney soil creates forked carrots but parsnips are more robust and fork less. I wonder if Hamburg Parsley is more like the former or latter?

Stephen, my Hamburg parsley all forked slightly and that is in fairly stone-free soil where the carrots all grew ok!

There seems to be a perception of Hamburg parsley that it is something exotic or mysterious. It is not similar to, or a substitute for, parsley: it is parsley, of a strain which has been selected for its thicker roots. I have grown this and the flat-leaved type, and their foliage is indistinguishable in appearance and flavour. The root, though, is a bonus, if indeed you enjoy eating the root — it is not to everyone's taste. To get good roots requires going the extra mile in feeding and watering as they tend to go woody if the plant is treated meanly.