Brassica Rapa, the humble turnip, that poor misunderstood veggie, fodder for livestock and disdained by cooks. Out of my, not inconsiderable, gardening library, few newer books devote any space to growing turnips. Even the heirloom books devote less than a page to the vegetable and its varieties. Heirloom turnips are just not as sexy as peppers, squash and tomatoes.
But, speaking with the unconquerable zeal of the converted, I am here to testify to the glory of the turnip. The past few years, the turnip has been a revelation as I have branched out with varieties and vegetables that would not have grown in the semi-tropical climate of my southern Louisiana childhood.
Over the past years I noticed and admired the winter gardens of greens growing next to other farmhouses. Even in snow, one sees those wonderful greens poking out. But, I never attempted growing them myself, until a few years back.
Turnips require very little care, tolerate a wide range of soils and positively thrive in cold temperatures. You can harvest the leaves a few at a time off of one plant, as needed. Or, harvest the whole plant.
After feeding the animals on a typical fall night, Cindy and I might walk to the garden and pull a turnip. Accompanying a typical dinner of ham with the turnip greens and the turnip, mashed with garlic and fresh yogurt. Follow this meal the next morning by frying the mashed turnips for breakfast as a turnip-egg hash. This will make a believer out of you.
My older gardening books mention raising turnips as a given. One of the most enthusiastic writers of the kitchen garden, Angelo Pellegrini, an Italian immigrant to Seattle, made turnips part of his spring and winter gardens every year. (I do recommend his book “The Food-Lover’s Garden). Even Plutarch relates the story of the Roman general who retired to his small farm turning down offers of gold for the delights of a simple meal of boiled turnips.
Thomas Jefferson mentions growing turnips 24 times in his wonderful Garden notebooks. Turnips were part of his kitchen garden every year at Monticello. And, he does not neglect their importance as a fodder for livestock. In his farm notes he leaves these observations: “sow an acre of turnips for every ten sheep. Turn them out to graze on the turnips when the grass dies (mid-December). A pint of seed sows an acre of ground. Turnips do not exhaust the land if dug before Christmas. Turnips sowed on the wheat stubble succeed well without hoeing and folded off with sheep are very advantageous.”
Personally, I do not care for turnips simply boiled. But, substitute, or add, in any recipe calling for potatoes, or roast them with other root vegetables, from leaf to root what a wonderfully productive plant.
