Turnip Greens

"Thank God for good directions and turnip greens..."  - Billy Currington from his song, "Good Directions"

I've tried year after year to develop a taste for turnips.  So far, no dice.  I just don't like 'em.  At all.  My eyes fool me into thinking they are potatoes in the pot, but the taste is just so different to me.  A little bitter - just not tasty.  I know plenty people disagree, but I just can't like them.  But, turnip greens are another story.  Turnip greens, especially when young and tender, are absolutely delicious.  I planted a row of turnips entirely too close, but intending to feed the turnip roots all to the cows over the winter.  The cows really like them.  I've read numerous stories about farmers in the old days keeping their livestock healthy over the winter by feeding them root crops like turnips and beets.

Turnip seeds are very, very small.  I have a brown paper bag of turnip seeds that I've had in the freezer for years and years.  Despite the age of these seeds, the germination has got to be near 100%.  After planting them this year, I put the seeds back in the freezer.  I must still have 1/4 of a pound of seeds.  At this rate, I'll run out around 2030.

The turnips are planted on the first row in the garden, so it is very convenient to go pick a "mess" of them each night before supper, wash them up, and cook them.  We've had a few warm days which have brought some bug out of dormancy to begin eating some of the turnip greens, but for the most part, they are healthy and fine.

Tonight we're just eating turnip greens, but Tricia likes to mix mustard greens with them, along with chard, kale and beet greens.  We'll wash them up and then slice them and put them in a cast iron skillet to cook them down.

So delicious and so healthy, too! 

The turnip greens are located at the 12 o'clock position on the plate above.  I ate all those and went back for seconds with the quickness!