We are very fortunate in this country to have access to so many different types of vegetables.
Unfortunately I think we often walk by a lot of those veggies without a second thought.
When was the last time you had turnips? They are a classic root vegetable that I think has been disappearing from America’s dinner plate. They have been ignored in my household until just this month, we I bought a turnip for the first time to make a cream of turnip soup for St. Patrick’s Day.
Maybe it’s time you get the old turnip a chance in your kitchen. I am going to share with you how you can do that along with what turnips really are and how to store them.
What is a Turnip?
A turnip is a root vegetable – that is a vegetable that we mainly eat what grows under the ground.
Turnips do produce greens on top (turnip green) that can be eaten, making this vegetable a great choice for the home gardener as you get more food for your work. Part of the root will peak above ground. This part will turn color, usually purple, but can also be found in green and red colors. The interior is all white. The flavor is pretty mild.
How to Cook a Turnip
Turnip can be cooked like any other root vegetable. You can dice and boil them. The best way may be to roast them. Roasting any root vegetable brings a nice caramelized sweetness to the palate. To roast, simply dice, coat in oil and salt, and roast until a nice golden brown color (don’t burn them) as formed on the outside. Roasting them before pureeing them for a cream of turnip soup would be a delightful idea.
[irp posts=”11205″ name=”Roasted Cream of Turnip Soup Recipe”]
Want to change up your usual mashed potatoes, trying add some turnips. Turnips are high in vitamin C, so can add a little nutrition to a standard side dish.
How to Store a Turnip
Turnip are best stored in dry, cool, and dark environment. While the fridge may be cool and dark, it’s a humid place, so not a ideal location for turnips. If you storm them in the fridge, place them in the bottom drawer. Also make sure you don’t keep them wrapped tightly in a produce bag. The plastic bag will hold moisture right up against the turnip and may cause it to turn slimy, moldy, or rot with time.
People stored them in root cellars for years – it’s why they are called root cellars. Whatever you can do to replicate that type of environment do so for your turnips to give them the longest life.
If you are going to use your turnips very shortly after them, then the fridge won’t do you any harm.
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