So , youplanted a bed of turnipsin your garden this season . You cared for your plants , cutting , mulching , lachrymation , managing pests , and watching them produce .
Now what ?
You may be wondering when you could harvest the roots . Can you harvest greens and roots from the same flora ?
Photo by Meghan Yager
And what do you do with the roots once you have pull out them out of the footing ?
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Read more to see all the indium and out of harvesting and storing turnips . We ’ll also share some alone formula idea .
Photo by Meghan Yager
What You’ll Learn
When to Harvest
Though there are certain sign to look for to determine when to harvest white turnip roots , the final call is part dependent on your preference , and the cultivar you are growing .
Are you primarily interested inhealthy greens ? Do you favour fresh and sore immature root , or are you fond to larger , more hearty bulb ?
In general , turnips maturate anywhere from 30 - 60 twenty-four hour period after planting , depend on the variety and growing conditions .
promptly - mature varieties can be harvested in 4 - 5 week , while longer - maturing varieties may take up to 8 - 10 weeks .
If you ’re mature turnipsprimarily for their putting surface , you may begin harvest when the leaves are young and sensitive , when they are about 4 - 5 inches tall .
Do n’t leave them for too long , or they ’ll become toughened and somewhat bitter .
count on the miscellanea and develop conditions , you may be able to get a repeated harvest of the greens from your harvest .
When seedlings are a few inches grandiloquent , you could write the diminutive greens from plants you pull when you are thinning , and eat them in salads .
If you ’re harvesting for both greens and root word , you have a span of options :
you could top off the leaves when they are about 12 in tall and then harvest the roots later on , when they have grown to 2 - 5 inch in diam .
Remember to always leave some of the greens on the industrial plant so that the root can carry on growing .
you may also pull the entire plant at once , when the crowns take off to fight through the ground and are about 2 inches in diam .
Leave the roots in the priming coat longer if you are growing a slower maturing variety or if you favor large and lusty vegetables , but keep in mind that if you look too long to glean , the roots can become fibrous and woody in texture .
When turnips are grown as a fall crop , pick them after a couple of lightheaded Robert Frost , but before a hard freeze . Repeated operose freezing and thawing cancause the ascendant to crack and decompose .
How to Harvest
To glean white turnip super acid , merely wait until the leaf have grown to an equal height , anywhere from a few inches to a infantry marvelous .
trim down them off , leaving 2 - 3 in intact above the crown . If you are lucky , you may be able to get a second harvest from each works .
However , if you are growing for the greensandthe roots , it is advisable to only write out the outer leaves on each plant , entrust the internal leaves integral . The leaves play an important theatrical role in plant photosynthesis , providing energy for the roots to develop and mature .
When you think it might be time to harvest your base vegetables , brush the soil away from the tops of the crest to see whether they have reached a good size of it size – usually 2 - 5 inches in diameter .
Check your seed packetsfor the expected size of it at matureness for the cultivars that you have planted .
you could also just pull up one or two plant to check their size .
prove to harvest on a day when the soil is dry , to make it easier to pull up the roots .
To dispatch , cautiously loosen the soil around the ascendant using a garden fork , and then lift the whole plant softly from the ground . Be conservative when crop with garden tool to avoid damage the roots .
How to Store
If you have harvested the integral industrial plant , first twist or snub off the putting surface .
This will allow for sluttish storehouse of both origin and putting surface , and prolong the shelf life of the roots .
Next , brush off any excess dirt from the Tuber , and cut off the root at the bottom .
Storing Turnip Greens
keep in the icebox , turnip honey oil can be put in for 4 - 5 days . Wrap unwashed greens in a damp theme towel , and hive away in a perforated moldable bag in the cold part of the fridge . Discard any greens that reek funky or develop mold .
Turnip greenness can also be stored in the deep freezer for about a yr .
To freeze , get rid of woody stem and rinse off the leaves . Blanch for 2 minute in simmering water and then douse in ice water system to cool quickly . debilitate off excess moisture in a colander or salad spinner , or air dry on paper towels .
Cut Green into littler pieces if desired , and suspend in plastic goose egg - top bags or airtight container , leave alone about a 1/2 inch of headspace .
Storing Turnip Roots
Roots should be lay in in a coolheaded place , ideally between 32 and 35 ° F – which means the refrigerator is a stark location for storage .
you may also stack away them in a dry root cellar or garage . Layer roots in a box draw with shuck , backbone , or sawdust . They should keep for several month , as long as the warehousing localization remains ironical .
Roots can also be pale and frozen . Just wash , peel , and cut down ancestor prior to blanching . Pat wry with newspaper towels and freeze in plastic container or freezer bags .
If you ’ve get a bumper crop , you should consider dehydratingyour turnip root word . If you do n’t desire to be bothered with blanch , then the easy way to do this is to pare and thin slice up the theme , then dry in a dehydrator or oven at 125 ° F for 10 - 12 hr , or until they are dry but still more or less pliant .
put in the dry “ fries ” in an airtight container until you want to use them .
Turnips are hardy , and in climates where the soil does not freeze out , they can be leave in the stain until you are quick to use them . But be sure to wind up harvesting before spring , as they will restart their second year of ontogenesis , and become bad and inedible .
Similar to carrots , you ’ll want athick stratum of strawor hay mulch to protect them from backbreaking frosts , which will damage the roots . You canread more about winter in the primer coat here .
Recipes and Cooking Ideas
white turnip are very various vegetables , and they can be cooked and eaten in all sorts of creative ways !
relish the antecedent fried , baked , boiled , mashed , or even eaten raw in salads . Why not try them as part of a delicious roast fall veggie knockout ? you may find the recipeon our sis site , Foodal .
If you have accidentally waited too long to harvest and find your base to be on the woody side , you could try peeling and stewing them to make them more tender and palatable . Or consider adding them to a vegetable neckcloth .
What about making some beginning veg chips , jazzed up with a hint of spice?Get the recipe on Foodal .
Or you’re able to make savoury quick - pickle turnip and beets that are perfect for adding to salad and sandwiches . Foodal also has a recipe for this .
Greens can also be eaten raw or cook .
The untested , tender leaves are delicious in salad or ready in whichever way you like to eat leafy green . I especially enjoy a simple saute with butter , a bolt of lemon , and salt .
Greens, Roots, or Both? You’ll Love ‘Em All!
With these prosperous tips , you may obtain a fruitful Brassica rapa harvest this year , and savour a variety of root - vegetable - themed repast throughout those chilly wintertime months .
For more data about develop veggies for a fall harvest you ’ll demand these guide : :
photograph by Meghan Yager © inquire the Experts , LLC . ALL right RESERVED.See our TOSfor more point . Originally print August 26th , 2020 . Last updated August 15th , 2023 . Uncredited pic : Shutterstock . extra writing and editing by Clare Groom and Allison Sidhu .
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Heather Buckner
