Choice and storage

Turnip greens with tubers in a market.

Turnip tops are at their finest throughout fall and spring. Contemporary greens are additionally available throughout the yr. Out there, select freshly harvested heads both alone or bearing the vegetable tuber. Select fresh-looking, younger tender deep inexperienced leaves with a agency petiole. Usually, the highest greens are tied in bunches and offered together with their small taproot. In that case, search for small, wholesome, agency turnip tubers.

Keep away from yellow, sunken, wilted, or over-matured leaves as they’re much less appetizing and spoil early. As with all different greens, turnip tops additionally perish rapidly and must be consumed as quickly as it’s harvested.

As soon as at residence, sever the highest greens from the foundation, utilizing a knife an inch above the foundation prime. If left intact, the greens deprive moisture and vitamins of the tuber. Retailer them within the fridge set at excessive relative humidity of over 95% the place they keep recent for 2-3 days.

Preparation and serving strategies

Turnips tops are at their finest throughout winter and spring lasting from November till February. Wash the greens in chilly water to rid of any floor filth. Mop them dry utilizing a paper towel. Chop carefully utilizing a paring knife for even cooking.

Turnip tops characteristic very broad leaves akin to beets or swiss chard with lengthy and generally extensive, thick petioles. Trim away any robust and woody petioles. Take away any previous overmature, wilted, bruised leaves. Then, wash ready leaves in a colander below chilly faucet water to take away any floor sand and filth. Gently swish away extra water or mop dry utilizing a paper towel. Chop the leaves and petioles to the specified size utilizing a kitchen knife.

Younger tender greens may be eaten uncooked or ideally combined with different greens and greens. Nevertheless, massive mature leaves are fairly bitter in style as they compose a great deal of minerals and nutritional vitamins and are, due to this fact, most popular solely after cooked, sautéed, steamed, or braised.

Listed below are some serving ideas:

• Within the Southern states of US, many Southern-style dishes ready utilizing freshly harvested turnip tops particularly combined with
  complementing greens equivalent to kale, collards, mustard greens together with bacon, and salt-cured pork in mouth-watering recipes.

• In South Asia, turnip greens are usually combined with milder greens like spinach within the preparation of saag recipes. The greens may be added to stuffing, casseroles, quiche, stews, stir-fry, and so on.

• Though not as widespread as kale chips, greens of turnips may be employed as chips.

• Turnip greens may be juiced right into a wholesome drink. Nevertheless, uncooked greens impart a bitter style and a tinge of soreness to the oral mucosa. This may be prevented by juicing gently steamed greens instead of uncooked ones.

Security profile

Oxalic acid content material within the turnip greens may be very small (0.05 g/100g) compared to different excessive oxalate content material greens and greens like
turnip-tuber (0.21g/100g), amaranth (1.09 g/100g), parsley (1.70 g/100g), and so on. This bitter precept in mature leaves is due to their excessive mineral content material. It may be minimized by boiling turnip greens in scorching water after which discarding them earlier than including the greens to recipes. (Medical
disclaimer).

≺≺ Again to Greens from Turnip greens. Go to right here for a formidable record of greens with full illustrations of their vitamin details and
well being advantages.

≺≺ Again to Residence web page.

Additional studying:

1. USDA Nationwide Nutrient Database.

2. College of Illinois Extension-Watch your backyard develop.

3. Oxalic acid content material of chosen vegetables-USDA.