turnip questions

17 years ago

This is my first year growing turnips, and I'm also new to greens in general, so I have a few questions.

Early on, I used the thinnings for greens, and that was great. Eventually I stopped thinning and left the remainder to grow into turnips...which they have begun to do.

By the time a turnip is ready to be harvested, are the tops still useful as greens? Or are they too tough or bitter? Should I discard the outer, larger leaves, and eat the center ones? Or discard all? Eat all? Etc., etc.

The turnip variety in this case is Purple Top White Globe.

Thanks!

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Comments (7)

jimster
17 years ago
The outermost leaves are apt to be yellowed, bugeaten and of poor flavor by the time you pull the turnips. The center ones, which are younger, should be fine for eating.

Also, you can make more plantings specifically for greens. I enjoy turnip greens. They are some of the best greens, IMO.

Jim
leira
Original Author
17 years ago
Actually, Jim, the outer leaves are not yellow at all, and not bug-eaten (maybe a couple of small holes, but not much). They are, however, quite large. Whether or not they are of poor flavor is yet to be discovered.

I suppose it's possible that I pulled the turnips earlier than I should have, but the Great Internet told me to pull them when they were in the 2-3" range, which is what I did.

At this point, all of the garden space is spoken for until something gets harvested and pulled, and I believe that turnips do best in cool weather, which probably won't last much longer...actually, it's a wonder that it's lasted as long as it has this year. My understanding is that at this point, I'd do best to wait for a fall planting. If I'm wrong, I hope someone will correct me.
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mattjjd24
17 years ago
I'm harvesting my turnips now, and what I do with the greens is separate the stem from the leaves. I saute the leaves with olive oil and garlic as a side dish. The stems I pickle! I find that pickling tenderizes them and I have a tangy snack!
jimster
17 years ago
Leira,

I didn't realize you would be harvesting so soon. But that's fine. From your description the greens are young and should be good for eating. Enjoy!

Jim
leira
Original Author
17 years ago
Well, Jim, when would you harvest turnips? Do you think that 2-3" is too small? It's consistent with the plant spacing that the seed packet gave me, too.

If it would be possible to get bigger turnips of good quality, I'd be happy to wait, and to take them...but everything I read suggested 2-3" or sometimes even 2-2.5".

The seeds were planted in early April, so I guess the greens are just a bit over 2 months old.
jimster
17 years ago
I should have said I didn't realize they would be ready for harvest so soon. I think you are doing the right thing by harvesting them at 2-3".

I wish I had some turnips ready for harvest now. I'm gardening in a community garden which wasn't tilled until late May, which is why it didn't occur to me that yours could be fully grown by now.

Jim
midsummersgarden
17 years ago
I had hundreds of turnips this winter...it was all I grew! I got so tired of turnips and I never thought that would happen.

Occasionally, I would juice the greens and drink them as a tonic. They're loaded with all kinds of nutrition.