Let’s talk about turnips - Part 2
It all begins with an idea.
So how we do grow these nutritious turnips? Maybe you’re limited in time… and it might seem easier to just get them at your local grocery store. That can be an option. However your vegetables will be the most fresh and *free of chemicals* when you grow them yourself!
Turnips grow in cool weather, so you plant them in the spring and fall seasons in the Kansas City area. This year for my birthday, Mike and I went and bought lumber (cue fun personal project) and we went to a local community gardens organization to get fall seeds and plants. I got 10 packs of seeds and turnips were one of them. I put the seeds in the soil about 1/2” deep. The spacing between the seeds can be around 1” apart. I planted them along with some kale, cabbage, etc. It’s that simple.
They were very low maintenance, besides watering them when they needed it. There wasn’t much tending to do. I just let them do their thing (nature is amazing like that). When the leaves were full, I would often go and grab what I needed for that meal.
About two months after I planted the turnips, there was a long stretch of freezing weather coming so I harvested almost all of them. They were awesome! I have a few still growing under cover.
October 5th harvest
Growing turnips is not complicated! You can do that, even if you are just starting to garden! Keep in mind that the set up of your garden (sunlight, soil, etc) will definitely impact your production. If you’re not sure about where to garden, schedule a consultation!
So, after you grew a bunch of turnips, what do you do with them?
See you in the next blog!
So, you grew turnips, now what?
It all begins with an idea.
You grew beautiful, lush turnips! Ok, great! now what?
If you take the time, energy, and garden space to grow something, you want to be able to enjoy the fruit of your labor (or vegetable in that case). So, what do you do with turnips?! There are many options!
Here are a couple of options for the turnips and turnip greens:
Eat them raw! Seriously, they are so nutritious! They have a strong taste - similar to radishes. You can slice them on salad or as toppings for certain dishes.
Put the turnips in beef stews, mashed potatoes, mixed roasted vegetables, soups! The sky is the limit!
Put the turnip greens in soups, stir fry, rice dishes, chilis, or salads.
Hide the greens in a smoothie. That is our favorite way to sneak great nutrition in our kids’ diet. Here is our favorite smoothie: frozen organic strawberries, bananas (frozen or fresh), organic collagen, a handful of turnip greens, some whole milk yogourt, a cup of almond milk, flaxseeds (optional), and some water. If we want the smoothie extra thick (our kids call that breakfast ice cream), we add a cup of ice. Recipe below!