But, the fact is, the standard American shopper is presented with a small sliver of the vast world of produce options -- carrots make the cut, and parsnips, not so much.

Cultivated parsnips have plenty of health benefits, but you should avoid picking wild parsnips. Wild parsnip is nearly identical, but it has far more furanocoumarin compounds in its stems and sap.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place the parsnip and onion chunks on a baking sheet with the whole unpeeled cloves of garlic. Drizzle over the olive oil and toss the vegetables, seasoning with ...