Spring Glory - Turnips and Peas

 

Wow!! We came home after a week's vacation to find that our turnips have grown huge and beautiful, and the peas are going crazy! Those are the turnips, at the bottom - it's a variety called Blanc de Crossy, grown for its mild sweet flavor and unique shape. Perfect for maximizing yield in small raised beds like ours. They're huge, 4-6" long and 1.5" wide. We did two varieties of peas this year - shelling peas as well as sugar snaps. The pods are still pretty flat, so I guess we'll have to wait a few more days to really start eating them. We planted this whole bed in March.

Here's a simple recipe from Julia Child - Turnips Braised in Butter.

1-2 lbs turnips, peeled and quartered

2 Tbs butter

1 - 1 1/2 cups veggie, chicken or beef stock

Salt and pepper to taste

If the turnips are young and fresh, simply place them in a skillet with the butter and just enough liquid to cover them. If they are mature winter turnips (like the ones you buy in the store, sold without their tops), blanch them for 3-5 minutes in boiling salted water first. Cover the skillet and simmer for 20-30 minutes until the turnips are just tender but not mushy. If the liquid has not evaporated, remove the lid and boil it off.