Turnips: not as boring as you might think

(Image: Jennifer Dickert)

Turnips are pretty great because you get two for the price of one. Both the root and the greens of the turnip can be eaten! Here are some more interesting tips about turnips:

1.Nutrition wise the root is high in vitamin C (an essential in winter) and the green  has vitamin A, C, K and calcium. Turnips are also low in calories with only 28 calories per 100g!

2. Turnips are tasty all year long as they are always in season. However they are best during November to January when they are small and sweet. When larger, turnips develop tougher skins and a stronger flavour but are still great for mashing and adding to soups and stews.

3. The word turnip can be used in slang denoting an idiot. E.g. 'Do you see that guy who left his lights on when he left the house? What a turnip!'

4. If you want to know how to cook with the greens of turnips click here for a very helpful video. A basic recipe involves washing the greens and removing tough stems. Cook them in water until tender. Then remove the water and place in a skillet with some butter, salt and pepper and cook down until they are wilted and very tender.

5. Turnips are pretty yummy raw. Cut them into wedges are serve as a crudite with dip or sliced and added to salads for a crisp, lightly zippy tang. However they are more commonly cooked. You can roast them, mash them, grill them, saute them, or bake them. The 'hot' flavour associated with turnips means that they go well with other vegetables. So add turnips to mashed potatoes or to a pan of roast vegetables.

6. Livestock are often fed turnips. In 1730 British politician, Charles "Turnip" Townshend, wanted to see if his cattle could survive the winter on turnips. At the time livestock were butchered daily due to the growing expense of growing and storing hay all winter, but this would result in too much meat at any one time. However Townsend showed that cattle could be kept in good health during long winters with easy to grow and store turnips!

7. Growing turnips is hip! Check out this video where rapper Snoop Dogg reaches out to Ian Neale who grows MASSIVE swedes (large turnips).

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