Guide

Fruit and Vegetable Guide

Turnips

Autumn, winter

Description: When young and fresh, these half-white, half-purple root vegetables range in flavor from very sweet to a little peppery; older ones can be hot and bitter.

Selection: Choose smooth, unblemished turnips. They should feel firm and heavy for their size. Greens should look fresh. Turnips 2 inches or less in diameter are usually more tender.

Storage and handling: Refrigerate in a plastic bag up to a week. Wash in a bowl of cold water.

Preparation: Baby turnips need not be peeled, but tough skins of other turnips can be removed with a peeler or knife. Blanche large or old turnips in boiling water 4-5 minutes to get rid of a strong or bitter flavor. Boil whole or chopped turnips; pieces will take 5-8 minutes, small whole turnips 15-20 minutes. Roast in the oven (SIS, p. 251). Microwave small whole turnips, covered, 4 minutes. Drain and finish cooking as desired. Turnip greens may be boiled or steamed.

Serving suggestions: Slice or julienne young turnips and eat raw with a dip or peanut butter. Add shredded raw turnips to salads. Bake turnips with sweeter root vegetables like carrots and parsnips. When boiled and then puréed with a potato, turnips make a delicious, low-starch alternative to mashed potatoes.

Nutrients: Vitamin C.

1 lb raw = 3 1⁄2 cups
1 lb cooked = 2 cups

The Fruit and Vegetable Guide is reproduced here with permission of Herald Press, publisher of Simply in Season.


	Guide General Tips Apples Asparagus Beets Blueberries Broccoli Brussels sprouts Cabbage Carrots Cauliflower Celeriac Celery Collards Corn Cranberries Cucumbers Edamame Edible flowers Eggplant Fennel Grapes Green beans Kale Kohlrabi Leeks Lettuce Melon Mesclun Mushrooms Okra Onions Parsnips Peaches Pears Peas Peppers Persimmons Potatoes Pumpkins Raspberries Rhubarb Rutabagas Spinach Summer squash Strawberries Swiss chard Sweet potatoes Tomatillos Tomatoes Turnips Wild greens Winter squash Fruit and Vegetable Guide Turnips Autumn, winter Description: When young and fresh, these half-white, half-purple root vegetables range in flavor from very sweet to a little peppery; older ones can be hot and bitter. Selection: Choose smooth, unblemished turnips. They should feel firm and heavy for their size. Greens should look fresh. Turnips 2 inches or less in diameter are usually more tender. Storage and handling: Refrigerate in a plastic bag up to a week. Wash in a bowl of cold water. Preparation: Baby turnips need not be peeled, but tough skins of other turnips can be removed with a peeler or knife. Blanche large or old turnips in boiling water 4-5 minutes to get rid of a strong or bitter flavor. Boil whole or chopped turnips; pieces will take 5-8 minutes, small whole turnips 15-20 minutes. Roast in the oven (SIS, p. 251). Microwave small whole turnips, covered, 4 minutes. Drain and finish cooking as desired. Turnip greens may be boiled or steamed. Serving suggestions: Slice or julienne young turnips and eat raw with a dip or peanut butter. Add shredded raw turnips to salads. Bake turnips with sweeter root vegetables like carrots and parsnips. When boiled and then puréed with a potato, turnips make a delicious, low-starch alternative to mashed potatoes. Nutrients: Vitamin C. 1 lb raw = 3 1⁄2 cups 1 lb cooked = 2 cups The Fruit and Vegetable Guide is reproduced here with permission of Herald Press, publisher of Simply in Season.
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