Week 7 Turnips

Turnips, why did it have to be turnips?

I feel that I have been open with y’all and my willingness to try new things, give any vegetable a chance and maybe have displayed that I am not a picky eater.

Unless there is a turnip involved.

Here is where I really begin to bend the rules slightly because I have tried turnips many times. Most of the time they were boiled or served like a canned vegetable. I think there were a few times where my mom had fresh turnips and just kind of let them stew. I’m going to get away from that for a bit and, again, this side note is for my mother. I adore your cooking, and I think you should open a restaurant because your food is so good.

I’m going to have an attack plan for turnips same way I did with kale. Going to hide them in something tasty on its then I’m going to them on their lonesome (save for some spices). Coming from the south I’ve mainly tried these mixed in with greens, which I only rarely crave and only if I have vinegar handy. So I have mainly seen them as just chunks or cubes which isn’t an appetizing way to describe any food I believe.

Would you just look at them though? I think these are some pretty vegetables honestly. They have that slight gradient of purple to white with a little tail that almost makes it look cute. It somehow helps me to personify my produce. Both the internet and my grandmother told me to be sure you get the smaller turnips which seems counterintuitive when choosing produce. Most people always want the biggest pieces. The smaller ones aren’t as bitter though and we definitely don’t want to eat bitter produce. Take the same approach picking a turnip as we did with parsnips.

These were such a deal to buy as they were only 89 cents a pound. I saw that and thought I should get as many as I could get only to double check my recipe and realize I probably bought too many. More turnips to go around I guess.

I hope that after this week is over that I actually enjoy turnips. I feel that I’m hearing most of the root vegetables are meant to be treated as a throw in with potatoes. You basically put them with roasts, in stews, or other things where you have to slow cook until tender and by that point they have taken on the taste of whatever it is paired up with. I want a real experience eating turnips again and maybe even grow to like them so when I see them my mouth will crave that taste ever so slightly. If I come out of this week with my opinions unchanged though, I can say that I tried, and that is exactly what we’re trying to do.