Salad Turnips

Salad Turnips Recipes

 

Availability: July-October

Storage tips: Refrigerate in a plastic bag. The tops should last at least a week. Remove the tops from the roots and they should last a few weeks in a plastic bag in the fridge.

How to eat: Salad Turnips are different from regular turnips. They are meant to be eaten raw or lightly cooked and have a tender texture and sweet taste which makes them great raw in saladsor as snacks. The best way to cook them is to slice them and sauté them gently in butter for 10 minutes or until softened.  Or roasted!  Greens are edible!

How to preserve:  

Fermenting:  Add to a Kimchi!  Download how to make Kimchi here:  Slice it Salt it Stomp it Handout

Quick Pickling:  See recipe below for an easy way.

Amber’s Turnip Soup with Greens & Bacon

2 strips bacon, cut into ¼” pieces
1-2 tablespoons oil
1-2 scallions or ½ onion, chopped
1 bunch turnips, roots chopped into bite size pieces, greens washed and chopped, tough stems discarded
¼ lb. mushrooms chopped (optional)
4 cups chicken broth
Salt and pepper

Heat oil in pot on stove to medium. Add bacon and scallion/onion. Saute until softened about 5 minutes. Add turnips, greens, optional mushrooms, and broth. Bring to boil, reduce to simmer, and cook until turnips are tender about 10-15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and serve.

Herby Salad Turnip Snack Sticks

Kids love these!  As do adults!  Feel free to mix up the herbs to your taste and what you have on had.  Definitely an easy way to eat more veggies!

salad turnips, cut into 1/2" sticks

olive oil

salt, to taste

dried or fresh herbs (oregano, basil, dill, parsley, etc., get creative)

Put prepared salad turnips in a bowl.  Sprinkle with a little salt, drizzle with olive oil to taste, and add fresh herbs.  Mix well and use fingers or toothpicks to serve.  Or serve it as a side dish to a meal.

Indian-style Turnips with Greens

1-2 Tablespoons cooking oil
1/4 tsp red chili flakes (or more if you like it hotter!)
1 tablespoon minced ginger root
2 cardamom pods
1 tsp fennel seeds, ground in a spice grinder
1 bunch salad turnips, greens separated and cut into quarters or bite sized chunks depending on the size of the turnip
1/2 cup water
1 tsp salt
About 1-2 cups of turnip greens (all from your bunch above), chopped
2 Tablespoons cream

In a medium skillet heat oil until hot.  Add chili flakes and ginger and saute stirring for 2 minutes.  Add cardamom pods and fennel, stir, then quickly add turnips, salt, and water.  Bring to boil, then turn down heat, cover, and simmer until almost tender, about 5 minutes.  Add greens on top, recover, and simmer 2-3 more minutes until wilted.  Uncover, add cream, stir and simmer about 2 minutes until sauce thickens.  Serves 2-4.
 

Maple-Pecan Salad Turnip Salad
  • 1 cup pecans (or nut of choice)
  • 1 bunch salad turnips, roots and leaves,
  • thinly sliced (not stringy stems)
  • 1-2 cups mesclun greens, chopped

Toss together the above ingredients. Then
pour the following dressing over top:

  • 2 TBLS balsamic vinegar
  • 1 tsp honey
  • 3 TBLS olive oil
  • 2 TBLS maple syrup
  • Salt and pepper to taste
Quick Pickled Salad Turnips
This is an easy way to preserve your salad turnips for another couple weeks of good eating if you get backed up.  Plus who doesn't love a delicious pickle!
  • 1 bunch salad turnips, washed and sliced thinly
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup rice wine vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 1/2 tea black peppercorns, crushed
  • 3 thin slices of ginger

Place turnip slices in a small bowl and toss with the salt. Let rest until there is a pool of liquid on the bottom of the bowl, about 30 minutes. Drain turnips of the salty water and pack into a pint sized mason jar. Add vinegar, sugar, pepper and ginger slices. Apply a watertight lid and shake to combine. Place pickled turnips in the fridge and chill before eating. Pickles can be eaten within an hour of being made and will keep for at least a week or more.

Quick Turnip Greens and Sausage

This recipe is an easy dinner solution that takes only 15 minutes to prepare!  You can also substitute other greens like mustard greens, Asian greens, radish greens, kale, or a combination.

1 TBLS cooking oil
1 pound sausage, either loose or in links, your choice of seasonings
Greens from 1-2 bunches of hakurei salad turnips, discard long, stringy stems and chop leaves
salt and pepper, to taste
lemon slices

Heat oiled skilled to medium high.  Cook sausage until done.  Remove from skillet.  Add greens and cover until wilted, about 2 minutes.  Remove lid, and cook stirring until tender, 3-5 more minutes.  Serve with lemon slices.

Roasted Hakurei Turnips (& Greens)

This is an easy and very delicious way to make a side dish out of salad turnips.  When roasted, they become soft and juicy with great flavor.  If I'm roasting a chicken or squash or something else in the oven, put these in for a few minutes, too!

1 bunch hakurei turnips, trimmed and greens separated
olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Halve or quarter the turnips, toss with olive oil, salt and pepper.  Place on roasting pan and roast at 425 degrees for 10 minutes.  Turn over to a new side and roast another 5-10 mintues or until softened but not mushy.  Remove from heat.

Optional turnip greens addition:

Greens from one bunch of turnips, washed, dried, chopped and tough stems discarded
1 clove garlic, minced
olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Heat oil in skillet on medium.  Add garlic and saute for 30 seconds.  Add greens, salt and pepper and saute, stirring, until wilted, about 2-3 minutes.  Remove from heat and toss with above roasted turnips for a beautiful side dish!

Salad Turnips and Greens in Yogurt Sauce

This is a summer version of a favorite way to use turnips!  Delicious with scrambled eggs in the mornings.

1-2 tablespoons cooking oil
1 bunch salad turnips, cut into ¾ inch chunks
1 bunch salad turnip greens, stems removed and leaves shredded
¼ teaspoon cumin seeds
¼ cup onion, minced
1 medium-large tomato, chopped
cayenne pepper to taste
salt and pepper to taste

Heat oil in skillet over medium-high heat.  Add turnips and cook, stirring until browned, about 5-7 minutes.  Remove turnips.  Add greens, stirring until wilted.  Remove greens.  Add cumin seeds and onion to heat for 2 mins stirring.  Add tomatoes, cayenne, salt, and pepper.  Stir to remove anything stuck on pan.  Add turnips, greens, and yogurt.  Simmer uncovered on medium until tender and saucy, about 10-20 min.  Stir to prevent sticking.  Check seasonings.

Salad Turnips with Balsamic Glaze

2-3 Tablespoons butter
1 bunch salad turnips, greens removed and saved for another use, roots trimmed and quartered or cut into bite sized chunks depending on size
2-3 Tablespoons water
2-3 Tablespoons Balsamic vinegar
1 Tablespoon sugar or 2 teaspoons maple syrup
salt and pepper to taste
minced fresh herb like parsley, scallions, etc. (optional)

Melt butter in pan and add turnips to coat.  Add water and bring to simmer.  Reduce heat to maintain slow simmer, cover and cook until tender, about 7-10 minutes.  Uncover pan and add vinegar, sugar, salt, pepper.  Increase heat to medium-high while stirring frequently until sauce starts to form a glaze on the turnips.  Serves 2-4.

Salad Turnips with Mint and Honey

4 tablespoons butter or oil
1 bunch salad turnips, tops removed and saved for another use and roots chopped into bite sized chunks
1-2 tablespoons honey (to taste)
3-4 tablespoons fresh mint, minced
salt and pepper to taste

Heat butter in skillet over medium heat.  Add turnips, cover the skillet and reduce heat to low.  Cook turnips until just tender, about 10 minutes or so.  Check them by piercing with a fork.  Remove turnips from skillet.  Then add minced mint and honey to skillet and boil down the sweetened the turnip juices until syrupy.  Then pour over the turnips as a sauce, season with salt and pepper and serve. 

Simple Southern-style Turnip Greens
  • 1 bunch turnip greens, chopped
  • 1 cup broth (or 1 bouillon cube)
  • 2-3 cups water
  • 1 TBLS bacon drippings
  • ½ tsp salt, or to taste

Combine all ingredients in pot. Bring to boil and simmer until desired tenderness (traditionally until well done, about 45 minutes). Drain well, check salt, and serve hot.