What to do with Turnips?

[muddler6]

Hello,
I planted Turnips, but have never really done anything with them in the past, I got a package of them when I was buying seeds, and of course they came up like crazy, now I have to figure out what to do with them. Anyone have any ideas?

 

[blurose]

You can cook the greens just as you would swiss chard and such. As for the root part of the veg, make sure that you peel it down far enough to get rid of the bitterness, you can see a slight color change. I think its about 1/4 inch thick. Then, you can cook them and mash them just like potatoes but my fave way is to put them into my stew right along with my potatoes and carrots. If you are careful to peel them down enough, they are rather sweet tasting. I hated them as a kid because my mom didn't know that she needed to peel at least a 1/4 inch off and they were really bitter. I discovered about peeling them down that much from watching the Food Network and have loved them eversince. I'm not a big fan of the green tops yet as my mom cooked those to death when I was a kid and I haven't fixed any myself to try them since.

 

[Grow 4 Food]

I would like to know where to get turnip seed in bulk. I want to plant about an acre of them.

 

[ams3651]

You can cook the greens just as you would swiss chard and such. As for the root part of the veg, make sure that you peel it down far enough to get rid of the bitterness, you can see a slight color change. I think its about 1/4 inch thick. Then, you can cook them and mash them just like potatoes but my fave way is to put them into my stew right along with my potatoes and carrots. If you are careful to peel them down enough, they are rather sweet tasting. I hated them as a kid because my mom didn't know that she needed to peel at least a 1/4 inch off and they were really bitter. I discovered about peeling them down that much from watching the Food Network and have loved them eversince. I'm not a big fan of the green tops yet as my mom cooked those to death when I was a kid and I haven't fixed any myself to try them since.

i love love love them in mashed potatoes, i also roast them with a venison roast.

 

[muddler6]

AMS3651, now you are talking my language!! I have a good bit of venison left from deer season and need to get busy cooking it, I have been eating my chickens that I raised and neglecting that deer waiting to be eaten. I will definately combine some info, peel then down and roast away!!. As for the greens and "cook them like swiss chard", how is that? I have never cooked them either. Turnips are a whole new critter to me.

 

[Tutter]

My dh doesn't care for them, so I plant a lot of parsnips instead, but yes, the greens are also eaten.

I hope that you enjoy them!

 

[bills]

As for the greens and "cook them like swiss chard", how is that? I have never cooked them either. Turnips are a whole new critter to me.

I usually cook chard by - putting a small amount of water in the bottom of a big pot, stuffing it full of chard, a sprinkle of salt, lid on, and bring to a boil. (Don't let the water boil away) After the leaves wilt down, usually in 4-5 mins, I drain them, put them in a bowl, add butter, salt and pepper, and a squeeze of lemon juice. Ambrosia!

As far as the root goes, stews are definetly a good way to use them, or they can be boiled and mashed and eaten like spuds. Add some mashed carrots for a real culinary delight.

If you want to attract bees to your garden, allow a couple of the turnips to overwinter and go to flower in the spring. They produce a very large amount of flowers, and actually look quite nice mixed in with the greenery of the other veggies.

 

[muddler6]

As for the greens and "cook them like swiss chard", how is that? I have never cooked them either. Turnips are a whole new critter to me.

I usually cook chard by - putting a small amount of water in the bottom of a big pot, stuffing it full of chard, a sprinkle of salt, lid on, and bring to a boil. (Don't let the water boil away) After the leaves wilt down, usually in 4-5 mins, I drain them, put them in a bowl, add butter, salt and pepper, and a squeeze of lemon juice. Ambrosia!

As far as the root goes, stews are definetly a good way to use them, or they can be boiled and mashed and eaten like spuds. Add some mashed carrots for a real culinary delight.

If you want to attract bees to your garden, allow a couple of the turnips to overwinter and go to flower in the spring. They produce a very large amount of flowers, and actually look quite nice mixed in with the greenery of the other veggies.

Great!! Thanks for the info, I will give them a try soon. The greens are pretty big, but I want the roots to get a little bigger before I pick them. I just picked my first radishes yesterday, I love those!!!

 

[me&thegals]

They're nice raw with salt or dip. I often use them in soups or stews. Just had one in a chicken pot pie and it was great!

 

[bills]

Muddler, with chard you can simply snip off the bigger leaves, and use them, leaving the plant to grow. My row of chard lasts all summer and up to the first frosts in the fall. If you leave them to winter over, (in milder climates anyway) you often will have new leaves showing in the early spring.

If they start to go to seed, I usually cut the main seed shoot, before it seeds, and eat the leaves from it. It keeps the plant producing nice leaves.