Turnips the size of basketballs

[Chicky2]

Ok, maybe not quite that big, but the size of small cabbages for sure!

My mom had to pick the rest of her garden before it froze so I have lots of hot banana peppers to string today and a HUGE bag of HUGE turnips. The greens are too big (pokey and spikey) to use (I think?), but what on earth am I gonna do w/all these turnips? Do they store well? How to store them?

Recipes? I'm serious that one of these suckers could probably feed a small village....

I'm thinking mashed w/potatoes, roasted, but what else?

[JamieCatheryn]

Well if you'd like something kinda different, here's a medieval recipe I use for reenactment events that is great, but you must make sure it's cooked long enough to get them nice and soft.


Rapes in Potage
[or Carrots or Parsnips]

Curye on Inglysch p. 99 (Forme of Cury no. 7)

Take rapus and make hem clene, and waissh hem clene; quarter hem; perboile hem, take hem vp. Cast hem in a gode broth and see+ hem; mynce oynouns and cast + erto safroun and salt, and messe it forth with powdour douce. In the self wise make of pastunakes and skyrwittes.

Note: rapes are turnips; pasternakes are either parsnips or carrots; skirrets are, according to the OED, "a species of water parsnip, formerly much cultivated in Europe for its esculent tubers." We have never found them available in the market.

1 lb turnips, carrots, or parsnips
2 c chicken broth
1/2 lb onions
6 threads saffron (optional)
3/4 t salt
2 t sugar, 3/8 t cinnamon, 3/8 t ginger

Wash, peel, and quarter turnips (or cut into eighths if they are large), cover with boiling water and parboil for 15 minutes. If you are using carrots or parsnips, clean them and cut them up into large bite-sized pieces and parboil 10 minutes. Mince onions. Drain turnips, carrots, or parsnips, and put them with onions and chicken broth in a pot and bring to a boil. Crush saffron into about 1 t of the broth and add seasonings to potage. Cook another 15-20 minutes, until turnips or carrots are soft to a fork and some of the liquid is boiled down.

[mumkimum]

Mashed is good. Roasted is even better - just cube, toss with oil, salt and pepper, maybe some herbs if you feel like it.

You might even be able to pickle them (like, if you sliced into sticks or wedges).

[Chicky2]

Well, right now I have a HUGE pot of turnip greens (apparently they were ok to eat still), and turnips, and bacon, onion, garlic, and pork bone stock. Smells heavenly, and my dd got maple bacon, so that actually really added to it.

On tomorrow's menu is mashed, next day is oven turnip fries w/cajun seasoning, and I want to try the saffron recipe above. Then one day I'll have roasted root veggie medley.

Thanks!!

[ursusarctos]

You can also boil them in broth, puree, and add cream and salt for a yummy creamy soup.