Thanks to the many, delicious responses to my plea for ways to prepare the huge basket of turnips I harvested, I have a great selection now.
I didn’t want to hog them all to myself, though, especially since many of the suggestions came direct to email instead of in the comments. Here is a round up of turnip recipes and ideas you all have generously shared:
–put a few tops and roots in with the pot roast along with the onions, garlic, potatoes and carrots. Or steam them along with equal sized chunks of rutabaga, parsnips and carrots and then add garlic, butter and a little salt, pepper and apple cider vinegar… from Dannett
Wonderful Glazed Turnips & Carrots–via Jen
–Turnips are EXCELLENT whipped, like potatoes. Even whipped WITH potatoes. I like them in chicken soup. Not in huge amounts, of course, just enough to kick the extra sweet taste of the carrots…jrad
–Use the smaller ones…peel, chop in 1″ pieces, boil in some low sodium chicken broth (or plain water), mash, add some [butter], a little salt, a little cream/milk, and the secret, just a teaspoon or so of sugar… from Sandra
–slice thin and deep fat fry for chips, just peel, slice and eat, cut up in salads and cook and put butter and salt on them. Yummy!…from Kimberly
–Try mixing them with potatoes; mashed is how we like ’em best…Deborah
Several people also suggested shredding and making slaw/raw salad.
For even more suggestions, go to the comments section in this post: Turnip Harvest
And by the way, I just made some Turnip Bread and it was delicious! Thanks, Victoria!
Turnip BREAD? I get the turnip potatoes. I’ve actually done that. But, TURNIP BREAD?
Deanna–Yes! Victoria knows of what she speaks, woman. Do not doubt the readers. They are always right.
Is there any way to get around the bitter taste of turnips? I love them raw, but cooking seems to intensify that bitterness. Also, how much do you usually peel off? Sometimes, maybe just on the larger ones, I have to peel thickly to get down to the more tender part. But I have never been a great lover of turnips and have not much experience with cooking them.
Naomi–It would seem you are one of the people with the bitter receptor gene. Turnips don’t taste bitter to me. I don’t always peel turnips, only the larger ones. It may be less a matter of cooking technique and more a matter of genetics. You may have a very legitimate reason to give turnips a pass!
I don’t know if you received this suggestion in your many, but my husband loved to add a turnip to many of his soups. I don’t like turnips hardly at all, but I loved all my hubby’s soups, even the turnips in them! He always peeled his, also.
My hands hurt…at the very THOUGHT of preparing turnips!
I love cooked and whipped baked turnips (my mouth is watering as we speak)
But man…my arthritic hands would go into open rebellion!
Eat some for me, please!