Parsnips (Pastinaca sativa) are a root crop, related to carrots and parsley. They are very cold hardy and do well for fall or overwintering. In fact they need a few weeks of cold weather to make them sweeter.
They are very under appreciated and have a sweet nutty flavor. Parsnips take longer then carrots to grow and can be a bit persnickety but I'm going to help you have a great crop.