Oh My Turnips!

Since it is too hot right now to do anything else, I figured I would write about my adventure with turnips. So far, I have gotten two boxes with turnips. I am pretty sure that I have never eaten them before, so I was eager to try them out.

I started with a suggestion from my mom. First, peel the turnips. Then coat them in olive oil and balsamic vinaigrette (not as easy as it seems, since they separate... or maybe that's just me). Sprinkle with salt, pepper and rosemary to taste, then bake in the oven at 350 degrees for about 25-30 minutes (or until tender... some of my bigger turnips could have used a few more minutes in the oven). The outcome:

I served up two bowls when it was done. The husband gave me a resounding "no" after one bite (I can't win them all!). I liked the pieces that had more vinaigrette on them, but I can't say that I would want to eat them all the time. The bitter flavor (I think that is what it is... it is hard to say) was a bit strong for me. 

So, when they came in the next box, I tried again. This time, I wanted to eat them raw, so I tried this: Grated Turnip and Apple Salad. It was pretty labor intensive, for a small amount of food. I think if I were to try it again, I would shred the turnip and apple, because it because a strange applesauce looking creation, rather than a salad. I am not ashamed to admit it either: I googled the difference between grating and shredding. FYI, grating is little pieces that sometimes turns powdery (like parmesan cheese), and shredding is larger pieces, if you ever need that in the future. 

So this is how the salad turned out:

I let it chill for about thirty minutes, then had it with my dinner (including a strawberry, blueberry, banana, spinach and kale-from-my-box smoothie, which was delicious!). Again, I was not really sold. Between the lemon juice and the turnips, it was extremely sour. Maybe I should have added more apple, but then again, it was tart green apples, so I am not sure if it would have helped. So, if you like sour, refreshing salads, you will probably like it. As for me, I will probably not have it again.

The verdict on turnips: I am not a huge fan. I will probably not seek them out in the future, but if they come in my share again, I won't give up on them. I am thinking if I don't try to eat them alone, and have them with other flavorful ingredients, I might have some success.

What is your favorite turnip-inclusive recipe? Don't forget that I welcome comments. And keep an eye out for another post soon... I am almost caught up!