Radish Seed Pods

Maybe the tastiest joys of early summer are baby turnips. Most of us associate turnips as one of the stoic, tough, hard-boiled root staples that get us through a long hard winter. But when planted and harvested earlier in the year, they’re like little amethyst jewels which can either be steamed, roasted, or even grated raw into a slaw.

Baby Turnips are an early garden treat.

If there’s one thing you’ve probably learned about us, it’s that we really don’t like to waste anything – especially food.  So what makes harvesting “premature” turnips even more wonderful is that their greens are also at a great stage for eating. They’re not yet at that hafta-boil-the-hell-outta-em stage.

Below is one of our favorite recipes using baby turnips, their greens, and a few other great leaves of summer. You’d be hardpressed to find a healthier salad anywhere, and this one can be served either hot or room temperature.

3-GREEN BABY TURNIP SALAD with Honey Mustard Dressing.

1 bunch of baby turnips, with greens (each turnip 1-3 inches in diameter.)

1 bunch swiss chard

1 bunch early mustard greens

(any type of early cooking green can be substituted – baby kale, baby collards…)

2 T olive oil

zest of one lemon

For Dressing

2 t honey

1 t white wine vinegar

1 t lemon juice

1 t dry mustard

2 t olive oil

salt, pepper to taste

First separate turnips from greens, remove root. Be sure to leave 1/4 of stems left on turnips. (Never slice root top off any root vegetables before cooking – beets, turnips, rutabagas, etc. The flavor and vitamins will drain while cooking.)

Always leave a little of the tops on when roasting root vegetables.

Place turnip bulbs in shallow pan, coat with oil, cover, and place in 400 degree oven for approx 20 – 30 minutes. They’re done when easily pierced with knife.

L to R.: Ruby Red Swiss Chard, Lucullus Chard, Osaka Purple Mustard, Purple Top turnip greens.

While turnips are roasting, wash all greens. This sounds simpler than it really is. Chard, mustard, and turnip leaves have deep ridges that hold a lot of sand, dirt, and bugs. The easiest way to thoroughly wash these greens is to submerge in a sink full of cold water then rinse each one separately as you remove them. No need to dry them. They’ll be boiled. Slice away and discard any tough stems on anything other than the chard. On the chard, slice away the beautiful stems and cut into one inch segments.

Chop remaining greens coarsely.

Bring pot of water to boil, add chard stems first, then three minutes later add chopped greens. Cover. Boil until just tender – only about 10 minutes, tops. You’ll want them to retain a little more texture than the more familiar wintertime boiled collards.

Combine ingredients for dressing, and shake vigorously.

Drain greens (save juice for soups or even drinking,) and allow to cool with finished turnips. Then arrange in bowl or plate, top with turnips, sprinkle with lemon zest, and drizzle with dressing.

Sweet, earthy, sharp and a little bitter...like ourselves!

Enjoy this dish on a rainy summer day…maybe one with a slight chill. The earthy, warm taste of the greens and turnips might be a little reminiscent of cooler seasons, but the surprising brightness of their younger flavors will remind you to celebrate summer even more.

Beets

THE LEAF BEET IS NOT GROW FOR ITS ROOT, but rather for its leaves.  It’s more commonly known as Swiss Chard

Sugar beets have about twice the amount of sugar as other beets and account for about 1/3 of the world’s supply of sugar

Modern varieties of beets are derived from the sea beet that grows wild along the coasts of Europe, Africa, and Asia

Hot weather will toughen your beats.  Gardeners in hot climates should plan beets in the fall and then harvest them the following spring.

Beets will preserve color better if they are cooked before peeling or if vinegar or lemon juice is added during cooking.

Share your beets trivia and stories below…

Rutabaga

ACTUALLY I JUST LIKE TO SAY “RUTABAGA,” don’t you?

Rutabagas are actually the result of a mix between cabbages and turnips.  They are high in Vitamin C and a rich source of potassium.

Turnip

DESPITE BEING A ROOT VEGETABLE, turnips are actually related to broccoli, brussel sprouts, cabbage and the mustards.

I like to pluck one out of the ground, wash it off with the garden hose and take a crisp, sweet, peppery bite right then and there.  Turnips and their greens are high in Vitamin C.

Beets

I GREW UP THINKING I DIDN’T LIKE BEETS. In fact, having tried a pickled beet once when I was around 7 years old kind of sealed the deal for me.  It wasn’t until we started growing beets in the Beekman 1802 heritage garden and roasting them that my love affair began.

Beets have a higher number of anti-oxidants than onions, celery, spinach, broccoli and carrots.  One trial showed that beet juice could inhibit the cell mutations caused by nitrosamines, the potentially carcinogenic chemical preservatives used in processed meets.

One of our philosophies on the farm is if we grow something and can’t think of how to cook it, we throw it in a salad.  This is how we discovered beet greens.  They are similar in texture and taste to swiss chard and like all leafy greens they are good sources of Vitamin A and C.

SERIOUS LOATHING. Yeah, yeah…we know “they’re so good for you, blah blah blah.” One of us used to get practically force fed pickled beets as a child. And once you’ve thrown up a stomachful of pickled beets, well, they lose their charms for a long long while.

And then, because we felt like we had to, we held our nose and planted beets last year. Then, on the advice of a chef friend, we roasted them as we roast most of our cooked veggies. Ohmigod. They’re amazing. We’re complete converts. Evangelists, almost.  You have to plant the Cylindra beets. Really, you gotta. And then the Italian Chioggia.  So pretty sliced paper thin in a salad.

Below are the varieties we’re planting this year. Please let us know what you’re planting in the comment section below the photos.

CHIOGGIA BEET – An Italian Heirloom, with alternating pink and white concentric circles.

CYLINDRA BEET– Introduced in the 1880’s, resembles a carrot in shape.

DETROIT DARK RED BEET – Introduced into the United States from Europe in 1892. This beet was developed from the popular European Early Blood. It is mildew resistant. The flavor is excellent.