My grandmother had turnips growing in her cow pasture and we ate them like potatoes. In a mystery basket contest in culinary school, we had a turnip show up for us to cook some inspiring dish with. I love them and all, but just like a a cigar....a turnip is just a turnip. Mash 'em like a potato with some ginger and garlic, or julienne them and deep-fry for a fun new fried snack.
The mystery basket turnip ended up being super-finely diced, deep-fried, and thrown in some chicken egg rolls.

Diane,

Turnips are so easy to grow it is just ridiculous. I wanted to grow some our first year here but hadn't had time to build beds and amend soil yet (we moved here in early spring and it was instantly turnip-planting time), so I planted them in our thick, heavy, Red River clay and they did just fine. Of course, they do better in improved soil but if they'll grow in my clay, they'll grow anywhere.

Most turnips are multi-purpose because you can grow them for the tops, the roots, or both, but there's a few varieties (like Seven Top and Shogoin) that you grow only for the turnip greens.

In the spring, you plant them with all your other cool-season crops between mid-Feb. and mid-March. In the fall, you can plant them anytime your high temperatures have dropped down to around 80 degrees. In the fall, you also can plant rutabagas and you grow/use them just like turnips except you really can't eat their greens. (Well, you "can" but they are pretty tough and not very tasty!)

As much rain as you have there where you live, you might need to grow them in raised beds. I usually can grow them at grade level here because our average annual rainfall is only 36".

Harvest them when smaller and more tender if they are for human consumption, but the ones for animal feed can be allowed to get big and tough.

Since I was raised in the south, I was taught from an early age that you can't eat turnips without cornbread. LOL Since my southern aunts were usually gardeners and always great cooks, we ate turnips prepared many different ways, but most often with bacon or bacon drippings used to give them more flavor. Often we had the greens cooked like spinach greens but with chunks of young, tender turnips diced and cooked with them. You also can use turnips in casseroles.

Here's a couple of ways we used them. Because I'm a southern girl, born and bred, virtually all these recipes use butter or bacon drippings, but you can substitute margarine for either of them to make the dish healthier. (I often substitute turkey bacon.) It also is a southern thing to add a little sugar.

BOILED TURNIP GREENS, SOUTHERN STYLE

2 slices of bacon
1 medium onion, chopped
5 to 6 lbs. turnip greens, washed and dried, and with stems removed
1 and 1/2 cups of water
2 t. sugar
1/2 t. salt or to taste

Cook the bacon in a skillet until crisp. Remove from heat and drain on paper towels. Remove all but one tablespoon of bacon drippings from the skillet. Add chopped onion to bacon drippings in skillet and cook until tender, stirring occasionally. Remove pan from heat and set aside.

Once your turnip greens have been washed, drained and stripped of their stems, tear them into bite sized pieces and place in a pot with the water, sugar and salt. Bring to a boil over heat high, then reduce to low and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until tender.

Break the bacon into small pieces. Once the turnip greens are done, remove them from the heat, stir in the cooked onions and bacon pieces and then serve (with cornbread, of course).

BOILED TURNIPS

4 medium-sized turnips
3 tablespoons butter or margarine
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1/4 teaspoon pepper, or to taste

Peel your turnips and cut them into small cubes. Place in a saucepan, cover with water and bring to a boil. Cook about 15 minutes or until tender (larger cubes take longer). Drain and mash. Season with butter, salt and pepper.

BAKED TURNIP CASSEROLE

10 slices of bacon
1 cup chopped onion
1 clove of garlic, minced
1/2 cup chopped green pepper
1 medium sized turnips, peeled, cooked and mashed
2 egg yolks, well-beaten
1 small can evaporated milk
3 slices of bread, toasted and crumbled
2 teaspoons chopped green onion tops
2 teaspoons chopped fresh parsley

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and lightly grease a 2-quart casserole dish.

Cook bacon in skillet, remove and place on paper towels to drain. Remove all but 2 tablespoons of bacon drippings from pan. Once the bacon has cooled, crumble it and set it aside for later.

Saute' your onion, garlic and green papper in the skillet in the 2 tablespoons of bacon drippings until tender. Stir in mashed turnips and cook over low heat for about 30 minutes. Remove from the heat and add egg yolks, milk, bread, green onion tops and parsley. Stir together until well-mixed.

Spoon mixture into your lightly greased casserole dish and then sprinkle with the crumbled bacon. Bake uncovered in a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes.

CREAMED TURNIPS

8 medium turnips
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons margarine or butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups milk
1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1/2 teaspoon white pepper, or to taste
chopped fresh parsely as garnish, optional

Peel and cube the turnips. Place in a pan with enough water to cover them and bring to a boil. Cover pan and cook for 10 minutes. Add sugar and cook another 5 minutes or until tender. Drain.

Melt the butter in a saucepan over low heat. Add flour, stirring until smooth. Cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Gradually add milk and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens. Stir in salt and pepper first, and then add cooked turnips. Stir together well, remove from heat, sprinkle with parsley and serve.

You can dice young tender turnips and add them to salads, or slice them and eat them raw with the dip or dressing of your choice. Another way to eat turnips almost raw is.....

TURNIP SLAW

3 to 4 medium-sized turnips
2 celery stalks
2 green onions with bottoms trimmed but green parts left on
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/8 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1/8 teaspoon pepper, or to taste
2 tablespoons capers, drained
1 teaspoon chopped fresh sage
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

1. Peel and quarter turnips. Then cut each quarter into many very thin strips. Place turnip strips in a saucepan and add just enough water to cover them. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Blanch until just tender, usually about 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat, drain and set aside in a large bowl to cool.

2. Slice the celery and green onions at a sharp angle and as thinly as possible. Add to the bowl of turnips.

3. In a medium-sized bowl, combine buttermilk, vegetable oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Gently stir in the capers, sage and parsley. Pour this dressing over the bowl of slaw, toss gently and stir.

SAUTEED TURNIPS

8 small turnips, peeled and slice
2 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1/4 teaspoon pepper, or to taste

Place turnips in a medium saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil, cover and cook for 10 minutes or until the turnips are crisp-tender. Drain well.

Place drained turnips in a skillet with the butter and cook on one side until browned. Sprinkle with pepper and salt and then turn to brown the other size. Remove from heat and serve.

If you like turnips, you'd probably have fun trying some of the old heirloom varieties. Baker Creek has several, including a couple of the golden-colored turnips and a red one that I think is European in origin. Rutabaga seed is harder to find, but I think Baker Creek has it. If it doesn't, Johnny's Selected Seeds or Seed Savers Exchange should.

Dawn