Turnips, Hakurei

We grow both salad turnips and cooking turnips. Hakurei turnips are of the salad variety and you will see them in your share in both the spring and late fall.

Cooking Tips

The Hakurei turnip is a Japanese turnip that is truly best eaten raw. Its delicate flavor and crisp texture are perfect as is, and cooking tends to make it soggy. Just slice it, thick or thin as you prefer, and add it to salads, appetizer platters, or serve it on its own as a snack or side dish. You will not believe how delicious they are. The Hakurei turnips are also great for pickling, so long after CSA season is over you can continue to enjoy the fresh crisp of turnips. Also, never forget that all turnip greens are edible. They can be sautéed with some olive oil and onion for just a few minutes, being careful not to overcook them, and they will have a pleasant and slightly spicy flavor.

Storage Tips

With green tops removed, Hakurei turnips will keep in the crisper drawer of your refrigerator for over a week.

Nutrition

Turnip roots are high in vitamin C, potassium, and calcium. The greens are high in vitamins A, C, and B vitamins, plus potassium, magnesium, and calcium.

History

Turnips have truly fallen from grace in recent years, once having been known as the "vegetable of nobility" in Europe. They were historically an incredibly important crop in Europe, especially in the pre-Columbian era; turnips were even often used to make alcoholic beverages. Turnips are a member of the Brassica, or cabbage family, and were native to west Asia. Hakurei turnips are one of many new varieties of turnip developed in Japan in the 1950s, following World War II.