Pass the pastinum - it’s perfect for picking at parsnip time

Fiann Ó Nualláin celebrates his successes in the garden with one of his his favourite root vegetables.

A CURIOSITY of agricultural history now; once upon a time there was device known as a pastinum — a two-pronged fork utilised to prise up carrots, parsnips and other tap root vegetables.

Today, any standard three or four pronged fork is multipurpose and will up the spuds and roots as good as turn the compost and facilitate lawn aeration, but the old pastinum speaks to a time when every job had a dedicated tool and a dedicated ritual.