Turnips (Photo credit: Ula Gillion)

Everyone who is getting turnips in their CSA box can thank me. I know you had no use for those things before you saw this!:) Sorry turnips, but I got no love for ya. Well, until now, anyway. I’m not gonna say they’re my new favorite, but they can at least be eaten by my family now. And they do make a pretty good substitute for mashed potatoes (see Living Maxwell’s post on health risks of non-organic potatoes). And here’s a link to show you the health benefits of these root vegetables. Who knew they were a source of Vitamin C?!

You can do a “fauxtatoes” or “faux grits” mash of turnips instead of cauliflower or with your cauliflower! Same concept as cauliflower fauxtatoes recipe found on my blog, but boil your peeled turnips in milk instead of water. Now that I’m writing this out, I’m thinking I will do that for my cauliflower mash next time too! I don’t know why, but milk makes a big difference for the turnips. I have never tried anything but cow’s milk for this, so I have no idea if another milk choice will work as well, but please let me know if you try it! Boil peeled turnips in milk until soft, then pull out the turnips (save the cooked milk) and proceed with blending them, adding milk (the leftover milk from the boiling) and butter and salt and seasoning as needed. You can also do a mixture of turnips and cauliflower.  This can also substitute for “grits”. Not even gonna try to tell you they taste the same (for heaven’s sake, no! I could never deny my southernness that way), but they are a grain free substitute for my southern paleo friends, and they are quite tasty under a fried egg with a runny yolk! Keep in mind when doing any faux-tatoes or faux grits, seasoning is key and what you pair with it is important. In life, we rarely eat mashed potatoes or grits by themselves. Potatoes taste better with some green beans, meat, etc., and grits taste better with bacon and eggs.  So the same goes for eating turnips and cauliflower posing as taters and grits. They’re better with other stuff around them!

UPDATE APRIL 2014: HERE IS ONE MORE RECIPE TO TRY: AN EASY CHEESY TURNIP CASSEROLE! I had to use plain yogurt instead of sour cream and it was delicious!

and PS: you know to eat the turnip greens, right?! So good for you! It has been suggested that you cut the greens off the roots when you get them home. Eat the greens quickly, but you can store the root of the turnips for a couple weeks if necessary.

I hope this post helps you find some love for the lowly turnip. Let me know if it does!

Encouraging Health, and always learning…

Organic Eater