Turnips

2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38

Turnips (Latin Brassica rapa) - vegetable crop from the Cabbage family, which is one of the varieties of rutabagas.

Description

Turnip is a useful biennial plant that forms basal leaf rosettes and root crops in the first year of life, and begins to bloom and form seeds in the second year. However, its southern forms often bloom in the first year.

Turnip roots in most cases have a rounded shape, however, sometimes they can be oblong. Each root vegetable is covered with a whitish-purple thin skin, hiding underneath a very juicy and fairly dense pulp. And the color of the pulp can vary from rich white to yellowish shades.

Initially, turnip was used exclusively as livestock feed, but over time, edible varieties have also been developed.

Where grows

Turnips came to us from Afghanistan and southern Europe. And nowadays it is grown on all continents of the globe. This crop is especially actively cultivated in Canada, USA, Denmark, Germany, Australia and Great Britain.

Application

Turnips are most often used to make delicious salads, ideally combined with various side dishes and meat dishes. These healthy root vegetables are stewed, baked, boiled and fried, and also actively added to all kinds of side dishes, soups and stews. And they also make wonderful sauces.

Young turnip leaves are also suitable for human consumption - their taste is somewhat reminiscent of the taste of mustard. True, in most cases they are used only to add to salads (and a little less often to stews) in order to give them an unusual piquant flavor.

Turnip is rich in various useful substances - in terms of the content of ascorbic acid, it surpasses even citrus fruits. This vegetable is famous for its anti-inflammatory and diuretic properties, as well as the ability to act as an excellent wound healing and antiseptic agent. The bactericidal effect of this handsome gardener is ensured by the presence of phytoncides and mustard oils in its composition. And turnip pain relieves excellent too.

Turnip is recommended for people suffering from diabetes and obesity. In addition, it has an excellent healing effect on the intestines and will be an excellent helper in salt deposits, gout and polyneuritis. Turnip juice is also used, which is considered an irreplaceable expectorant and sedative. A decoction of turnip is indicated for asthma and bronchitis, is characterized by a mild laxative effect, actively promotes the normalization of sleep, and is even endowed with the ability to calm a too strong heartbeat. If you rinse your mouth with this broth, you can quickly relieve a toothache. Prepared from fresh root vegetables and ointment - this remedy is excellent for the treatment of frostbite.

The beneficial properties of turnips do not end there - among other things, these medicinal roots are also used as an antitussive and antihelminthic agent. And chopped boiled turnip is used for gout as an effective means for compresses.

Contraindications

Turnip is contraindicated in people suffering from duodenal and stomach ulcers. You should not use it for acute gastritis.

Growing

Turnip is grown by analogy with the well-known radishes, turnips and radishes. To prepare it for the winter, this vegetable is sown in early July, and to feast on it in the summer, sowing is carried out in early spring.

Turnip will grow best on sod-podzolic, loamy and sandy loam soils.