Turnips- Hakurei Salad, Purple Top, Scarlet

Hakurei Salad Turnips

Purple Top Turnips

Scarlet Turnips

In Season
Turnips are cool weather crops. Hakurei Turnips show up early in the spring, take a break for the heat of summer, then show up again in the fall. Purple Top and Scarlet Turnips are very good storage crops, so we keep them through the winter. 

Storage Tips
Store for 1 - 2 weeks
Remove green tops and store separately in a plastic bag. 

Hakurei don’t store as long as other varieties.

To freeze: wash, cube and blanch in boiling water for 2 minutes.  Cool immediately, drain, pack - leaving 1/2 inch headroom - and freeze.

Culinary Tips
There’s no need to peel the Hakurei. Just trim the ends and wash under cold water.

Hakurei are delicious raw, but if you can resist the urge to simply pop them in your mouth, try grating them into salads or slaws along with thinly sliced pears or apples. 

When cooked, Hakurei develop a buttery flavor and roasting at high temperatures increases their sweetness.

Steam 1-inch slices for 12-15 minutes.

Bake turnips for 30-45 minutes at 350 degrees F basted with butter.

Saute garlic in olive oil, then add thin slices of turnips, when the turnips are almost done, add the turnip greens. Saute until greens are bright green but not mushy. Serve with tamari.

Mash turnips like potatoes.

Use turnip greens as you would other cooking greens.

Turnip greens are tasty when sautéed quickly with garlic in olive oil.

Recipes
Glazed Hakurei Turnips
Cucumber and Hakurei Turnip Salad
Stir-Fried Hakurei Turnips
Turnip Gratin
Roasted Turnips and Pears with Honey Rosemary Drizzle
Turnip and Kohlrabi Slaw