Have you noticed the parsnips have lately been looking a little more like carrots (and not very beautiful ones at that)? That's just a result of oxidation!  

Like apples, parsnips start to oxidize when exposed to air. Oxidation is a chemical reaction that occurs when a substance comes in contact with air. This can happen quickly or over the course of days/hours. In the case of apples, the discoloration sets in fairly quickly. The longer parsnips are in the ground the more reactive they are to oxidation post harvest. 

The parsnips we are getting in now from local donors were harvested a week or so ago before being packed. In the time between harvest and packing, they were exposed to a lot of air and a lengthy stay in the soil. They are not as pretty as they could be and almost look like a big carrot but they are still super sweet and tasty. When peeled, they will expose a bright white interior.