How to cook turnip
Information for turnip in our free cooking ingredients collection.
Turnip
The turnip is a fleshy root vegetable related to broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbage, and the mustards. Depending on age and variety, turnips can be round or shaped like a top, range in diameter from 2 inches to over a foot, and weigh up to 50 pounds. Their smooth skin can be white, yellow, green, or purple. The white or yellow flesh of the turnip has a slightly sweet, peppery flavor and a crisp texture.
Family - Cruciferae
Scientific name - Brassica rapa
Common name - turnip
A good source of vitamin C
Varieties
Numerous varieties of turnips are grown for harvest throughout the year. The Purple Top Milan, with flat white roots and purple markings, matures early and is good for winter production, as are the Manchester Market and the yellowfleshed Golden Ball. The Purple Top White Globe is an old variety with round or flat roots that are reddish purple above ground and white below. The Snowball is a fast-maturing white turnip that generally is sown in spring, while the Tokyo Cross is an all-year crop. The Japanese cultivate long, carrot-shaped turnips called Hinona Kabu.
Origin and botanical facts
Turnips are native to Europe and central Asia, where they still grow wild on open ground or next to streams. However, they were first cultivated in the Middle East about 4,000 years ago. Turnips were consumed by the ancient Romans and by Europeans during the Middle Ages. English and French settlers brought turnips to America. Today, turnips are grown in many parts of the world, including Canada and the United States, where the leading suppliers are California and New Jersey.
Turnips are economical and easy to grow. They thrive in almost any type of soil and store well after harvest. Seeds generally are sown in early spring as soon as the soil can be worked, and additional plantings are done every 2 weeks until about 5 weeks before the temperature is expected to increase to more than 80 degrees F. In late summer, when temperatures begin to cool, successive plantings can be started again until 3 months before night temperatures normally decrease to less than 20 degrees F. Turnips are ready for harvest about 70 days after planting or when the roots are 2 inches in diameter.
How to cook turnip
Firm, unblemished turnips that are small but heavy for their size are the best and sweetest. They can be stored in perforated plastic bags in the refrigerator crisper. Although turnips can be eaten raw, the larger ones may have a strong flavor, which can be reduced by blanching in boiling water for about 5 minutes. Although the root usually is peeled before use, fresh, young turnips can be used with the skins intact. Sliced or cubed raw turnip adds a crunchy texture and a sweet, peppery flavor to green salads. Turnips can be boiled, baked, steamed, pickled, braised in broth, microwaved, stir-fried with other vegetables, or roasted alongside meat or poultry. Cooked turnips can be mashed and served like potatoes or cut up and included in soups, casseroles, and stews. Overcooking should be avoided, because it brings out the vegetable’s strong flavor. Also, turnips should not be cooked in aluminum or iron pots because the flesh can darken.
In Great Britain, turnips are carved into jack-o’-lanterns for Halloween.
Previous ingredients
The best free cooking ingredients collection online!
Many thanks for visiting cooking-ingredients.com! Be sure to bookmark us and come back soon. We are always adding new, free cooking ingredients to our collection! Please tell your friends about cooking-ingredients.com!
Other great recipes sites