Choice and storage

Turnip greens with tubers in a market.

Turnip tops are at their greatest 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 bought 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 every different greens, turnip tops additionally perish shortly and must be consumed as quickly as it’s harvested.

As soon as at residence, sever the highest greens from the basis, utilizing a knife an inch above the basis high. 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 contemporary for 2-3 days.

Preparation and serving strategies

Turnips tops are at their greatest throughout winter and spring lasting from November till February. Wash the greens in chilly water to rid of any floor dust. Mop them dry utilizing a paper towel. Chop intently 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 powerful and woody petioles. Take away any outdated overmature, wilted, bruised leaves. Then, wash ready leaves in a colander beneath chilly faucet water to take away any floor sand and dust. 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 could be eaten uncooked or ideally combined with different greens and greens. Nonetheless, 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 well-liked solely after cooked, sautéed, steamed, or braised.

Listed here are some serving suggestions:

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

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

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

• Turnip greens could be juiced right into a wholesome drink. Nonetheless, 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 many others. 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 powerful checklist of greens with full illustrations of their diet details and
well being advantages.

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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.