Root Crops are FUN!

  Root crops are fun!  I made this discovery today while weeding the garden plot.  I am trying to get a head start on the spring planting season by preparing the ground now.  Out with the old and in with the new is a appropriate saying about gardening.  The frigid weather that hit the Coast a few weeks ago left my greens looking a bit worse for wear at the time but they are starting to sprout out once again.  While nipping off a bunch of the dead leaves, I noticed something down beneath the greens.  Turnips!  While the freeze did a job on the tops, the roots just kept on growing.  In fact, I do believe that by hampering the foliage, the cold might have actually helped the roots.

  TURNIPS!  I yelled to Michael who was atop the ladder putting rafters on my greenhouse-to-be. TURNIPS!  He slowly turned to look at me.  "Yup. That is what is planted in that row." said my son who shows sparse emotions over root crops.  While I was excited beyond excited that we would actually dine on something fresh from the garden, he just took it all in stride.  Hmmm.  "Well, I like turnips." I grumbled.  With that, I pulled six nice, plump roots from the ground.  These I laid on the steps and headed back to the garden.  Then, like any true gardener, I plucked a smaller root from the ground, wiped it clean on my jeans and bit into it. Yep!  That was a grand turnip!

  Raw turnips, for anyone who has not tried them, taste a lot like a mild radish. (I use them as crudites with an onion dip if I am not munching them straight from the garden!)   One word of caution, you should only munch on the tiny, immature turnips (preferably homegrown) if you would like to try them.  The ones usually found in the grocery store are older, tougher and are quite bitter if not cooked.

  Turnips are easy to grow and give a good amount of harvest for a minimal amount of effort.  Once the greens (leaves) are of any size, they can be harvested and eaten without disturbing the root crop.   The greens are a good source of potassium, calcium, vitamin C and vitamin A while the roots are packed with fiber, calcium and antioxidants.  Yep, root crops are fun, indeed!  (Not to mention, quite tasty!)