Recipe: Preserving Turnips

If you read the posting on March 10 about growing turnips, now you want the info on preserving them.

As you thin the plants, eat the washed thinnings in salads, or steam with onion and served with ham/ham hocks.

A lot of people just prefer the turnip greens, and leave the turnips to rot. Turnips are a good low calorie source of vitamin C and fiber. Turnip greens contain large amounts of vitamin A and especially large amounts of lutein which has been shown to help prevent cataracts and cardiovascular disease.



Eating Fresh:
Greens:
- cook like spinach, serve with vinegar or tobasco sauce
- add to a stir fry at the very last minute

Turnips:
- boil and mash like potatoes
- slice and serve with butter and seasonings to taste. Don't overcook.
- cook in stew or soup
- slice and serve raw VERY YOUNG turnip roots


Preserving - Short Term:
Greens:
- Freeze like spinach

Turnips:
- Store whole roots in refrigerator for a few weeks
- See recipe below for Purple Pickled Turnips

Preserving - Long Term:
Greens:
- Freeze like spinach

Turnips:
- Slice thinly (use a mandolin for same-size slices). Marinate in soy sauce, season to taste, and dehydrate until crispy. This is the recommended way to preserve turnips long-term.

The following recipe is to preserve the turnips short term. After a lot of research, I couldn't find pickled turnips for long-term storage.

Purple Pickled Turnips:

Ingredients:
5 pounds of turnips
1 can sliced beets (keep juice!)
Brine (see below)
1 chili pepper, halved
salt to taste

Directions:
Make brine with 1/3 parts boiled water to 2/3 parts white vinegar, and add salt to taste. Clean turnips and cut in half. Then cut each half into thick slices. Place turnips, beets and beet juice (important!) into a large jar. Cover with brine. Add the chili pepper. Refrigerate until turnips are completely pickled - able to tell if turnip is pink in the middle when cut. May take about a week. Will laste in refrigerator for a few weeks.

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