Tony, look here:

Here is a link that might be useful: Parsnip Recipes

Hi tony,
Here in the UK the advice used to be to start them in February. Newer varieties don't need such an early start, and my neighbours and I sow right up to the end of July. There's also a view that you avoid canker with later sowings.
Parsnip seed goes stale slowly - make sure yours is fresh!
They are slow to germinate. Some people sow direct, and mix in radish seed so you can see where the rows are. I prefer to sow three seeds to a module, grow them on a bit and plant out when they have two or more true leaves, 6 -9 inches apart.
Here we think parsnips are best after a frost, so they stand in the ground most of the winter, harvested as and when we need them. I usually dig a few and cover them in earth and straw, so if the ground is frozen hard we can still get at them ;o)
Recipes? Parboiled and oven-roasted in oil or the fat from a roast is traditional. Parsnip mash and curried parsnip soup go down well in our household too - recipes available by googling or I'll post mine if you'd like to see them!
Hope your parsnips do well :oD

Thanks supersprout...I,ll try that next spring...about 144 of them, will feed us through the winter...Ill dig some before the big freeze ...store them in the barn in sand & dig the rest in early spring